Jeanine Pirro, U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, announced Thursday that a federal grand jury had indicted former Olympic canoeist David Hearn on a felony charge of destruction of property, accusing him of deliberately damaging the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.

Authorities say Hearn, 67, of Bethesda, Maryland, ripped up recently installed sealant from the bottom of the pool, causing more than $1,000 in damage.

The three-time Olympian represented the United States in canoeing at three Summer Games.

"Today is about accountability for damaging a national resource, a national treasure," Pirro said in a press conference. "And that is the reflecting pool that runs from the Washington Monument to the Lincoln Memorial, which is, of course, a symbol of D.C.'s beauty and history."

The reflecting pool recently underwent a multimillion-dollar renovation, and Pirro warned that anyone who vandalizes the nation's monuments will be prosecuted.

"Make no mistake, if anyone decides they want to damage that, whatever they think their reason is, or whether they think it's justified or whether they think it's not important, will be held to account," she said. "This is a priority not only for the president, but for myself as well."

According to the indictment, Hearn entered the reflecting pool on June 19 and allegedly tore away roughly 2 square feet of newly installed sealant.

"The evidence shows, and we will prove beyond a reasonable doubt, that Hearn willfully destroyed property at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool," Pirro said. "This was a deliberate act to damage the reflecting pool at the National Mall."

Pirro said National Park Service employees witnessed Hearn "forcefully and violently" pulling up the liner before instructing him to stop. Instead, she said, he allegedly yelled at one employee, asking why she cared since "it wasn't her pool."

According to Pirro, witnesses described Hearn as "belligerent, rude and disrespectful" and she praised Park Service employees for working long hours to preserve the National Mall ahead of America's 250th anniversary celebration.

"The United States Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia remains committed to protecting our national resources, our monuments and our parks from vandals," she said.

Asked why prosecutors sought a felony indictment, Pirro said the decision was driven solely by the evidence.

"This is a case with tremendous evidence," she said. "And this is a case where the evidence dictates where we land."

Pirro added that her office is reviewing about half a dozen other alleged vandalism cases involving federal property, with some expected to result in misdemeanor or lesser charges depending on the facts.

If convicted, Hearn faces up to 10 years in prison.

Hearn has denied damaging the reflecting pool, telling news outlets he merely touched a section of liner that was already peeling while stopping during a bicycle ride to inspect the recently renovated landmark.

In a statement, Hearn’s attorneys, Norm Eisen of Democracy Defenders Fund and Mary Dohrmann of the Washington Litigation Group, called the prosecution politically motivated.

"Davey Hearn is innocent," the attorneys said. "These charges are outrageous and should be alarming to every American. This indictment reflects the Administration's effort to shift blame for their own failures."

"In the eve of our nation's Independence Day, Americans should be deeply concerned by the misuse of government power against an ordinary citizen based on a concocted narrative," the statement continued. "The justice system exists to determine facts, not to provide political cover."