Oregon Department of Justice

Attorney General Hardy Myers and Secretary of State Bill Bradbury today announced that a Multnomah County Grand Jury indicted Tom Moyer, Vanessa Kassab, Moyer's granddaughter, and Sonja Tune, Moyer's executive assistant on charges of violating the state's elections laws. The indictment charges Moyer with two counts of unlawful contribution in a false name (ORS 260.402) and Kassab and Tune each with one count of the same crime. The crime, a class C felony, is punishable by a fine of up to $125,000 and up to 5 years in prison.

The indictment stems from a complaint filed with the Secretary of State's Election Division. The complaint alleges that Moyer directed contributions to the campaign of Portland mayoral candidate Jim Francesconi through Kassab and Tune. In securing the indictment, the Department of Justice (DOJ), following a thorough investigation, alleges that Moyer directed $2,500 to the Francesconi campaign through Kassab and $2,000 through Tune. DOJ identified no wrongdoing by the Francesconi campaign, which is cooperating fully in the investigation.

The Secretary of State is responsible for enforcement of state election laws. However, violations alleging criminal wrongdoing are referred to the Attorney General for investigation and prosecution.