<p>Most federal criminal cases start with a crime. This one starts with a paint job. A three-time Olympian named David Hern reached into the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, touched a piece of peeling liner, and got hauled off in handcuffs.<br />Hern is 67. He won eight gold medals in whitewater canoeing and represented the US at three Olympic Games. On Friday he was finishing a 64-mile bike ride, stopped at the Reflecting Pool, noticed a chunk of the new liner already floating loose, and reached in to feel it. National Guard troops materialized, Park Police cuffed him, and he spent five hours in a Park Police lock-up before being charged with misdemeanor destruction of government property and given a July 9th court date.<br />So the same administration that pardoned roughly 1,500 January 6th defendants now wants to put away a curious cyclist for touching the emperor's peeling paint. We take the charges seriously anyway, because Hern and the others arrested could be forced to foot the bill for Trump's Reflecting Pool boondoggle.<br />This episode breaks down what Hern is actually charged with: 18 USC 1361 versus the more likely DC Code 22-303, malicious destruction of property, and why the malice standard is so hard to meet when all the government can show is a man who touched the water. We cover the penalties, the grand jury problem, and US Attorney Jeanine Pirro's track record. Then the real story: a no-bid contract to paint a 100-year-old monument flag-blue, awarded to Eddie Wood's Atlantic Industrial Coatings; a $1.8M promise that ballooned to $13.1M; a second no-bid deal to Greenwater Services tied to donor John J. Cafaro; and the White House's own video of the motorcade rolling across the fresh coating before it cured. Plus six million gallons of algae water dumped into the drainage system, dead ducks, Norm Eisen, and Sen. Blumenthal's investigation.<br />CHAPTERS</p><p><br />(00:00) The $14M paint job</p><p>(00:48) An Olympian in handcuffs</p><p>(02:34) Norm Eisen: a crime to touch water?</p><p>(04:56) Two statutes: 1361 vs DC 22-303</p><p>(06:09) Proving malice and the penalties</p><p>(07:30) Pirro promises prosecution</p><p>(08:36) Trump's shifting gash story</p><p>(11:00) The no-bid contract to Eddie Wood</p><p>(12:51) $1.8M becomes $13.1M</p><p>(13:10) Greenwater and donor John Cafaro</p><p>(14:58) The Beast drives across the pool</p><p>(16:00) An environmental disaster</p><p>(16:41) Why you need a great lawyer</p><p><br /></p><p><strong>Do you need a great lawyer?</strong>  I can help!  <a href="https://legaleagle.link/eagleteam" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">⁠https://legaleagle.link/eagleteam⁠</a></p><p><br /></p><p>LEGAL-ISH DISCLAIMER</p><p>Sorry, occupational hazard:  This is not legal advice, nor can I give you legal advice.  I AM NOT YOUR LAWYER.  Sorry!  Everything here is for informational purposes only and not for the purpose of providing legal advice. You should contact your attorney to obtain advice with respect to any particular issue or problem.  Nothing here should be construed to form an attorney-client relationship.  Also, some of the links in this post may be affiliate links, meaning, at no cost to you, I will earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase.  But if you click, it really helps me make more of these videos!  All non-licensed clips used for fair use commentary, criticism, and educational purposes.  See Hosseinzadeh v. Klein, 276 F.Supp.3d 34 (S.D.N.Y. 2017); Equals Three, LLC v. Jukin Media, Inc., 139 F. Supp. 3d 1094 (C.D. Cal. 2015).</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>