The Justice Department on Monday filed motions to dismiss charges against three additional individuals accused of damaging the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, just days after dropping a similar case against a former Olympic canoeist.
Court filings show that prosecutors, led by U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro, entered nolle prosequi motions for Cameron Theirs, Sophie Dennison-Gibby, and Justin Carreno, effectively ending their prosecution. All three had been charged with destruction of property valued under $1,000.
The move follows Friday's decision to drop charges against David Hearn, a three-time Olympic canoeist who had been indicted on a felony charge that carried a potential 10-year prison sentence. In that case, Pirro's office blamed the pool's contractor for overspraying and delamination, rather than intentional vandalism.
Defense attorney Jamison Koehler, representing Dennison-Gibby, told USA Today that his client was relieved but traumatized. "This was a horrible experience for her," he said, adding that she was "terrified" after President Trump publicly called the accused "sick people" who deserved jail time. "Can you imagine being singled out by the president?" Koehler asked.
David Benowitz, counsel for Carreno, said his client lost his job as a government contractor and suffered reputational harm. "This charge never should have been brought in the first place," Benowitz told the Washington Post.
The dismissals come amid escalating tension between the White House and Pirro. Trump, who has repeatedly insisted the pool damage was "a pure case of VANDALISM," accused Pirro of "choking" under pressure from D.C. Superior Court Judge Todd Edelman. "Instead of going after the people that did it, the judge went after her and went after her department," Trump said Monday. "And I guess she choked. I don't know what the hell happened."
Pirro, who has had a decades-long friendly relationship with the president, visited the White House on Monday, leaving her future in the administration uncertain. Her office had previously indicated that more charges were possible, with some cases potentially being reduced to misdemeanors or violations.
The episode has become a political flashpoint, with Democrats seizing on the dropped case to criticize the Trump DOJ's handling of the matter. Meanwhile, some commentators have suggested that Hearn should pursue legal action against the government for the ordeal.
The initial indictment against Hearn accused him of removing sealant from the pool's bottom with his bare hands. But the DOJ's reversal, which cited contractor error, has undercut the administration's narrative of widespread vandalism. Some officials have expressed doubt about the original claims, though Interior Secretary Doug Burgum has stood by the vandalism assertion.
As the legal fallout continues, the broader implications for Pirro's career and the administration's credibility remain in question. The DOJ has not commented on the latest dismissals beyond the court filings.
