A convicted sex offender already facing 30 years in prison from a Washington County case has been sentenced in another case for using social media to lure and sexually abuse three boys in Marion County.
He was convicted Dec. 2 and sentenced to 11 years and six months in prison, followed by three years probation, by Marion County Circuit Court Judge Cheryl Pellegrini. He was ordered to pay more than $1,500 in fees.
His sentence will run concurrently, or simultaneously, with the 30-year prison sentence for similar charges against four Washington County minors.
The investigation into Wallace involved at least nine known victims from multiple counties in Oregon. He faced additional charges in connection to at least one other Washington County victim. Conduct involving another victim in Lane County has yet to be charged, according to court records.
Wallace preyed on young, vulnerable victims struggling with their sexuality, according to a sentencing memorandum in the Marion County case.
Investigators said Wallace would establish contact with his victims via popular social media apps such as Instagram, SnapChat, Grindr and Hornet, on which he would pose as a young boy. He would ask the victims to send nude pictures and pressure them to meet with him.
“The defendant knew that he could not only take advantage of their naivete, but he bet on the fact that they would likely keep his secret,” Deputy District Attorney Alexandra Overton wrote in the memo.
“He knew these victims would struggle with the choice of disclosing: if they disclosed they would be forced to come out, if they didn’t disclose the defendant would continue to prey on the next young boy.”
There were at least three victims in the Marion County case, two age 16 and one that was 15 at the time of Wallace’s crimes.
Wallace is not eligible for any reduction in sentence, conditional or supervised release programs, temporary leave from custody or work release.
Wallace was previously convicted in 2014 in Multnomah County of second-degree sexual online corruption of a child. He was ordered to register as a sex offender in Oregon.
