A Multnomah County jury has found Federal Way school board member Tony Moore guilty on seven counts of felony theft on Friday afternoon in Portland, Ore.
The verdict was reached after the jury deliberated for five hours at the Multnomah County Courthouse, following a four-day trial that began on Monday.
Moore, 50, stood with his attorney Robert Callahan as Judge Thomas M. Ryan read the jury’s verdict. Moore’s mother Delores sat with her eyes closed next to his wife Trisa and his sister.
He was convicted of scheming with a tire company employee in Portland, Ore. and stealing $150,000 worth of tires in 2011.
The judge allowed Moore to return back to Federal Way, pending sentencing on July 9. Moore could face up to 10 years in prison.
“I’m really disappointed in the verdict,” Moore told the Mirror after the trial, noting he respects the work the jury did. “We just happen to see things differently.”
He said this year marks the 25th year that “I’ve been doing the exact same thing” with his tire business and it’s “unfortunate that they thought what happened was foul play.”
Moore said he is going to “learn from this and I’m going to move forward. My mom and dad raised a man and I’m going to stand up and be a man.”
He said he will resign from the school board, effective immediately. This announcement seemed to affect him even more than the verdict.
“But it’s not about all of this; it’s about the kids. It’s always been about the kids,” Moore said, choking up. “It kind of breaks my heart because that’s what I love to do.”