David Hearn’s lawyer is demanding an apology after Jeanine Pirro publicly named him a vandal, then quietly dropped every charge

U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro has dropped vandalism charges against three-time U.S. Olympian David Hearn in connection with damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. As reported by TMZ, Pirro said the damage to the pool was not the result of criminal activity and instead stemmed from a flawed installation process that caused the pool’s lining to fail.

Hearn was arrested in June by U.S. Park Police and charged with misdemeanor destruction of government property after prosecutors said they had witnesses who saw him reaching into the water to tear the lining. Hearn maintained his innocence throughout the case, saying he had picked up a piece of material that had already come loose from the floor of the pool. Now that the charges have been dropped, Hearn’s legal team is demanding an apology for the damage done to his reputation.

President Trump had described those he believed responsible as “SICK, DERANGED PEOPLE” shortly after the pool began to deteriorate, and the administration alleged that vandals had used a knife to cut a 300-foot gash into the bottom of the pool. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said in interviews that the administration had video and eyewitness reports supporting the vandalism claims, though that evidence was not made public.

The contractor at the center of the case draws scrutiny

Pirro has said the allegations against Hearn and others appear unfounded, pointing to the Department of the Interior for providing incomplete information early in the case. The renovation project had been fast-tracked ahead of America’s 250th birthday, and the circumstances surrounding that timeline are among the factors now under review.

The contractor involved, Atlantic Industrial Coatings, received a $13.1 million no-bid contract for the project despite having no prior experience in federal construction. Federal records show the project’s cost later grew to $14.6 million, and the company’s bid reportedly included a 20 percent profit margin, above the standard six to twelve percent range for federal contractors. Congress is currently investigating both the quality of the work and the no-bid nature of the contract.

Contract disputes and unproven claims have drawn public attention in other contexts as well, amid unrelated cases such as one involving a woman suing McDonald’s that also circulated widely. The Reflecting Pool has separately struggled with algae growth tied to its shallow depth and Washington’s summer heat, an issue the Obama administration previously spent about $34 million trying to address without success.

The current administration awarded a separate no-bid contract worth $1.7 million to Green Water Solutions, a company using nanobubbler technology to address the algae problem. That company’s owner, John J. Cafaro, is a longtime donor to the Trump campaign. Other public disputes involving accusations against private individuals have also gained traction online recently, including one where a crowd surrounds her over crypto accusations spread widely.

With the charges against Hearn dropped, congressional investigations into the no-bid contracts awarded for both the pool’s repair and its algae treatment remain ongoing.