Feds Charge Iwo Jima Statue Suspect as Judge Sets $2,500 Bond

Federal prosecutors have filed two felony charges against the man accused of taking a sledgehammer to the Iwo Jima memorial outside Marine Corps Base Quantico, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia, which announced the case Monday evening as reported by The Washington Post and Potomac Local.

The federal case came the same day a Prince William County judge set a $2,500 bond for the suspect, Miguel Alonso Maldonado Soriano, 27, of Stafford, Virginia, despite prosecutors’ objections and an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainer, according to WJLA and the Prince William Times.

BREAKING UPDATE: The Mexican illegal alien/former DACA recipient arrested for beheading a WW2 battle of Iwo Jima monument in VA is now being charged federally by DOJ and will face up to 10 years in federal prison if convicted.

He is being charged under 18 U.S.C. § 1361, which… https://t.co/G3bbviyBBG

— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) October 26, 2026

Maldonado Soriano is charged federally with willfully injuring or committing a depredation against property of the United States and with willfully injuring or destroying a monument on public property commemorating the service of members of the armed forces, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said, according to The Washington Post. Each count carries up to 10 years in federal prison if he is convicted, according to Potomac Local.

Fox News correspondent Bill Melugin first reported the federal charges in a post on X, writing that the case was being brought under 18 U.S.C. 1361.

Caught in the act, police say

Prince William County police responded around 10:13 p.m. on Oct. 21 to reports of vandalism at the statue near Richmond Highway and Fuller Road and found Maldonado Soriano striking the monument with a sledgehammer, according to police accounts reported by WJLA. The federal press release states the damage included the removal of the head from one of the Marine figures, the removal of multiple rifle barrels and damage to other parts of the monument, according to Potomac Local. Police have estimated the repair cost in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, WJLA reported.

He already faced state felony charges of destruction of property, trespassing with intent to damage property and injury to a monument, according to WJLA.

Bond fight in county court

A Prince William County General District Court judge initially granted cashless bail before the weekend, but the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s office appealed, according to WJLA and the Prince William Times. On Monday, Circuit Court Chief Judge Petula Metzler reversed the cashless order and set a $2,500 cash bond, with conditions that include mental health screening and treatment, GPS monitoring, pretrial supervision and no alcohol or drugs, according to the Prince William Times.

“It’s clear to this court that we are dealing with undiagnosed and untreated mental health issues,” Metzler said at the hearing, according to Potomac Local. The Prince William Times reported that Metzler found he was not a flight risk because of the ICE detainers.

As of Monday night, Maldonado Soriano had not posted bond and remained at the county jail, the Prince William Times reported. The U.S. Attorney’s Office said he will be transferred to federal custody to face the new charges once he leaves state custody, according to the same report.

Immigration status

The Department of Homeland Security said Maldonado Soriano is from Mexico, entered the country unlawfully in 1999 and was granted Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals in 2014, a status that has since lapsed, according to The Washington Post. ICE has asked that he be held past his release date so he can be deported, the Post reported.

The memorial depicts the famous flag-raising on Iwo Jima in February 1945, one of the bloodiest battles in Marine Corps history. His next state court hearing is set for Jan. 11, 2027, according to the Prince William Times.

Sources

• The Washington Post
• Potomac Local
• Prince William Times
• WJLA
• Bill Melugin on X

Reporting by Daily Beltway.