The two climate activists, Donald Zepeda and Jackson Green, have been sentenced for their role in the February 2024 vandalism of the National Archives Rotunda in Washington, D.C., where they dumped red powder on the display case containing the U.S. Constitution. Zepeda, 35, from Maryland, received a 24-month prison sentence, while Green, 27, from Utah, was sentenced to 18 months.
Both pleaded guilty to felony destruction of property related to the act, which caused over $58,000 in cleanup costs and led to a four-day closure of the Rotunda, impacting public access.
In addition to their prison terms, both were ordered to serve 24 months of supervised release and pay restitution of $58,600 each.
They were also required to perform community service, including cleaning graffiti, and were banned from Washington, D.C., as well as all museums across the United States.
Green faced an additional charge for his involvement in defacing a memorial to Black Civil War soldiers in November 2023.
The two activists are members of Declare Emergency, a group that advocates for urgent action on climate change through controversial methods, including acts of civil disobedience.
The vandalism, which took place on Valentine’s Day, was accompanied by a social media post claiming that humanity is on a path toward the “end of civilization” due to climate inaction.