Overview
- On July 31 prosecutors asked a court to dismiss the felony indictment against former Olympian David Hearn after Interior Department and Park Service records showed widespread liner delamination tied to a rushed installation rather than deliberate vandalism.
- U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro filed the dismissal motion saying newly produced agency documents and inspections undercut the government’s earlier allegation that Hearn caused the damage.
- Hearn’s lawyers quickly moved to dismiss the case with prejudice to bar any future prosecution and to demand grand jury materials, arguing the original indictment was rushed under political pressure.
- The renovation was awarded largely without competitive bidding to Atlantic Industrial Coatings for roughly $14–16 million and used a darker polyurea liner and retained buried circulation pipes that engineers say raised water temperature, encouraged algae growth, and promoted peeling.
- The dispute has produced a tense White House confrontation between Pirro and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, public rebukes from President Trump, and new attention to evidence preservation, procurement oversight, potential civil claims and congressional investigations.