Crime & Safety
Portland Graffiti Tagger Gets Prison, Ordered to Pay Restitution
Marcus Gunter, who was arrested for tagging in September 2018, will serve two years in prison and pay restitution of $30,000.
PORTLAND, OR – Marcus Gunther will spend the next two years in prison. The 30-year-old was convicted of three counts of criminal mischief for spray-painting his graffiti "tag" around Portland.
He will also have to pay $30,000 to pay for damage done by his work on private property.
"This is a sentence that holds Marcus Gunther accountable for his repeated acts of spraying graffiti without permission," Multnomah County Senior Deputy District Attorney Nathan Vasquez, who prosecuted Gunther, says.
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"It also provides Mr. Gunther an opportunity at treatment, which will benefit him and our entire community."
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He was arrested in Sept. 2018 by the Portland Police Bureau after spray-painting "MOOK," which officials say is his "tag" at "numerous" locations throughout Portland.
One of his targets was property owned by Oregon Department of Transportation, pictured above.
After being released, Gunther will spend five years in the Success through Accountability, Restitution and Treatment (START) program. START is a drug treatment program for adults convicted of property crimes who are also dealing with an addiction issue.
Photos via Portland Police.
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