Prosecutors have filed charges against a former Olympic athlete accused of vandalizing the Reflecting Pool in the heart of Washington, US Attorney Jeanine Pirro said on Thursday.
A grand jury at a court in Washington approved the indictment and classified the case as a felony offence, a statement from Pirro's office said.
If convicted, the defendant faces up to 10 years in prison. A court hearing is scheduled for July 9.
The former Olympian "allegedly ripped a piece of the recently installed blue pool sealant on the bottom of the reflecting pool at the Lincoln Memorial," according to the statement.
He has at least acknowledged reaching into the pool. The 67-year-old defendant represented the United States three times in canoe slalom at the Olympic Games.
The roughly 600-metre-long pool is one of the landmarks of the US capital and lies between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument.
It has attracted attention in recent months because of renovation work ordered by President Donald Trump.
Trump wanted to give the pool a blue shimmer. But a few days after the work was completed, algae turned the pool green again, which Trump said was due to vandalism.
Trump has boasted of restoring numerous monuments and parks in Washington. In his view, anyone who damages them should feel the full force of the law.
