FRESNO, Calif. (KMJ/KFSN) — With political mailers turning a Fresno City Council race personal, candidate Brandon Vang and his wife, May Lee, responded to criminal allegations during an interview with our news partner ABC 30 Action News on Wednesday.
“I was angry at first. I was shocked that I have been accused of rape, and I have never seen any documents relating to that,” Vang said.
He is running to fill the Fresno City Council District 5 seat vacated by now Fresno County Supervisor Luis Chavez.
Hundreds of mailers arrived in District 5 last week, alleging Vang engaged in statutory rape leading to a 1993 pregnancy with his now wife before they were married.
It was their first of five children.
Brandon says he was 20, and Lee confirms she was just 15.
“If I had to do it all over again, I probably would have done the same thing because, you know, I love Brandon, and throughout this whole time, I don’t call it a mistake,” Lee said.
“Yes, it was a teen pregnancy, but I do not, to this day, call it a mistake.”
The law defines the statutory rape as sex with a minor.
It is based on the belief that anyone under 18 cannot legally consent.
We asked Lee if she believes she was raped.
“No, I was not,” she said.
“And have you ever been accused of rape?” we asked Vang.
“No, there has never been any accusations or rape,” he said. “There has never been, to my knowledge, any filings of any criminal activities against me.”
The Fresno County District Attorney’s Office tells Action News it has no “records that concern criminal matters” for Vang.
The mailer’s claim cites voter registration records and shows a picture of a court document, stating Vang was sued to pay child support.
Records obtained by Action News show there was a summons, but Vang says he was never served.
“You’re saying that the first time you saw this document was in the mailer. Were you aware of any child support action back in 1993?” we asked.
“Again, this is the first time that I’ve seen this mailer or any documents relating to this,” Vang said.
His denial comes after Fresno City Attorney Andrew Janz launched an investigation into who sent the mailer, saying they did not file the required paperwork.
Hours later, the sender came forward, identifying themself in a political filing as Riley Moore with the Fresno Future Forward group.
Moore now faces a thousand-dollar fine for failing to comply with election laws, and Vang says he is considering legal action against Moore.
“We will win this race, but at the same time, once the attention is away from the campaign, we will focus on our options,” Vang said.
“And so, there is nothing that is off the table at this time.”
ABC 30 Action News has not yet heard back from Riley Moore.
Vang will face off against Chavez’s wife, Elizabeth Jonasson Rosas, on Tuesday.
