Overview
- Federal prosecutors filed papers on Friday asking to dismiss the indictment of David Hearn after receiving Interior Department records that showed repeated failures in the pool’s new coating, and the court moved to drop the criminal case.
- Investigators concluded the damage traced to faulty installation by the contractor and to chemical treatments used to fight heavy algal growth, and experts say those chemicals can make a weak coating peel away faster.
- David Hearn, a 67‑year‑old former U.S. Olympian who was arrested on June 19 and faced felony property‑damage charges with up to ten years in prison, is no longer being prosecuted.
- President Trump has publicly rejected the prosecutors’ conclusion and criticized U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro on social media, deepening a public dispute between the White House and the Justice Department.
- The pool remains damaged and under repair, the $14–16 million renovation — awarded without standard public bidding to a contractor linked to Trump associates — is under fresh scrutiny, and officials say the contractor will return to fix the work.