Edgar Degas’s “Little Dancer Aged Fourteen” sculpture in the National Gallery of Art was covered in black and red paint following the April protest.
Two climate activists were indicted by a federal grand jury following an April protest that included smearing paint on the case protecting Edgar Degas’s “Little Dancer Aged Fourteen” sculpture in the National Gallery of Art, the U.S. attorney’s office in Washington said Friday.
The climate activists — identified in the recently unsealed indictment as Timothy Martin and Joanna Smith — surrendered to officials on Friday on two counts related to conspiracy and damaging property in the National Gallery of Art, according to a news release from federal prosecutors. Each charge carries a maximum of five years in prison and up to a $250,000 fine.
At the time of the incident, the climate group that organized the stunt, Declare Emergency, identified the protesters as Smith, 53 of New York, and Martin, 54, of Raleigh, N.C.
Federal authorities allege Smith and Martin concealed paint in plastic water bottles before smearing it on the case, base and floor surrounding the sculpture, resulting in $2,400 of damages.
