Court records obtained by the Vanguard reveal that in 2007 Tony Funchess, presidential candidate for the Associated Students of Portland State University, pled guilty to attempted rape II for an incident in 2000, and sodomy in the third degree based on an incident in 2005.
According to ORS 163.365, rape in the second degree is classified as such: “[Known as Rape II or Rape 2] (1) A person who has sexual intercourse with another person commits the crime of rape in the second degree if the other person is under 14 years of age. (2) Rape in the second degree is a Class B felony.”
OR 163.385 states that sodomy in the third degree is: “(1) A person commits the crime of sodomy in the third degree if the person engages in deviate sexual intercourse with another person under 16 years of age or causes that person to engage in deviate sexual intercourse. (2) Sodomy in the third degree is a Class C felony.”
Funchess is currently the multicultural affairs director at ASPSU. To date, Funchess has spoken openly about having a criminal background, but has not yet made specifics public while campaigning. ASPSU does not require students to disclose criminal backgrounds in applications to participate in student government or to run for office.
A flyer that reads, “Tony Funchess is a convicted rapist and wants to be ASPSU president…should this man be your president?” has been posted around the PSU campus by an unknown source.
Additional reporting by Lisa Dunn and Colleen Leary. Visit psuvanguard.com for further updates and stories.
UPDATE: ASPSU presidential candidate Tony Funchess responds to flyer allegations