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Zaid Mohammed Mahdawi, 26, of Richmond, was sentenced on Friday, April 4, to 10 days in federal prison and six months of supervised release after pleading guilty to destruction of government property, the US Attorney’s Office for DC announced.
The incident happened on July 24, 2024, during a protest rally at Columbus Circle.
Around 3:30 p.m., Mahdawi climbed onto the Columbus statue and was caught on video spray-painting the words “HAMAS IS COMIN” in red, along with an inverted triangle symbol.
The statue was defaced in July.
Officials said Mahdawi also pulled down an American flag earlier in the demonstration, which another person stole. Protesters burned objects, damaged federal property, and interfered with arrests.
Isabella Giordano is among five who defaced federal property.
Mahdawi’s graffiti was captured by US Park Police cameras and widely shared on social media. The same event was captured in open-source video and photos later posted to various internet platforms.
“The flags that were pulled down from the flag poles, and the statues and structures in Columbus Circle, are all property of the federal government,” prosecutors wrote.
Judge James E. Boasberg handed down the sentence and ordered Mahdawi to complete 80 hours of community service and pay $1,500 in restitution toward the estimated $11,282.23 in cleanup costs.
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