Oregon Career Criminal Left His Loaded Gun Behind After Fleeing a Bank With $856

An Oregon career criminal, whose last ‘job’ was an $856 bank heist during which he forgot his loaded gun inside the bank, was sentenced yesterday to federal prison for nearly 13 years.

James Michael Wallace (55) was also ordered to pay restitution of $6,437 for losses associated with his other career robberies. The judge also sentenced him to five years of supervised release.

At the time of the bank heist on February 28, 2025, Wallace was under federal supervision for a prior bank robbery conviction.

Court documents reveal that after entering the Portland branch of KeyBank on Woodstock Avenue, Wallace pressed a loaded gun into a teller’s torso, demanding that he open the cash drawer. He left his loaded gun behind when fleeing from the bank with $856 in cash.

Wallace pleaded guilty on August 27, 2025, to one count of armed bank robbery.

This case was investigated by the Portland Police Bureau and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine A. Rykken.