Woman sentenced for spray painting fountain, flag poles during pro-Palestine protest near Union Station, officials say
WASHINGTON () — A Maryland woman was sentenced last week for spray painting multiple flagpoles and a fountain during outside of Union Station in July, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia (USADC).
Isabella Giordano, 21, of Towson, was sentenced in federal court on Wednesday, March 19, to six months of probation.
According to court documents, on July 24, 2024, an organization was granted a permit to demonstrate near Columbus Circle, directly in front of Union Station, from about 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. This is the same day Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave his address to Congress.
Demonstrators began to gather in Columbus Circle at around 2:50 p.m., but United States Park Police (USPP) officials said they revoked the permit after they couldn't get in touch with protest organizers.
Several protestors who gathered in the area pulled down flags from flagpoles, burned flags and other objects, sprayed graffiti on multiple statutes and interfered with the police's ability to arrest people, according to the USADC.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE | WATCH: Protesters flood DC during Israeli Prime Minister's visit, address to Congress
Upon reviewing open-source videos posted to the social media platform X, law enforcement saw Giordano using red spray paint to write 'Gaza' on the Columbus Fountain. She also spray-painted the base of two flagpoles in Columbus Circle.
The USADC noted that the flags pulled down from the poles and the statutes and structures in Columbus Circle are all federal government property. The National Park Service (NPS) estimated the cost to repair and clean the site following the protests would be about $11,282.23.
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A few days after the protest, on July 30, 2024, the U.S. Park Police posted a bulletin with multiple photos, working with the FBI to identify and find five people who engaged in criminal activity during the demonstration. Two days later, police received two tips identifying Giordano.
Giordano pleaded guilty to destruction of government property before a U.S. District Court judge. In addition to probation, the judge ordered her to pay $500 in restitution to NPS.
Several protestors were arrested and charged following the demonstration outside Union Station, including of assaulting two police officers and a of taking a flag from a federal flagpole and burning it.
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