Oregon Pickleball Club founder sentenced for wire fraud and other violations

Adam Forziati

Director of Content

Last Edited

Feb 13 2025

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News

Move over, Rodney Grubbs. There's a new pickleball swindler in the mix.

According to the Lake Oswego Review, the pickleball community in Oregon was rocked last month when Joshua Wallace, the founder of the Oregon Pickleball Club (OPC), was sentenced to 26 months in prison for wire fraud, alongside three years of supervised release and a $100,000 restitution order.

Wallace’s sentencing comes as a result of fraudulent financial activity tied to his involvement in the sport.

Wallace, who had previously been convicted of financial crimes, raised $50,000 from two investors to help launch OPC, a facility in Oregon City. Instead of using the funds to build the club, Wallace reportedly misappropriated the money—paying off personal bills, transferring funds to credit cards and other accounts, covering legal fees, vehicle expenses, and even funding gambling on DraftKings and private golf club memberships.

Despite its brief existence, OPC was officially incorporated in 2022 and dissolved by 2023. The club was set to be located at 1703 Beavercreek Road in Oregon City, but Wallace’s financial mismanagement quickly led to the project’s downfall.

Court documents reveal that Wallace not only burned through the investment money almost immediately, but also racked up more than $120,000 in unpaid debts, including bad checks written to OPC’s landlord and contractors. Though he attempted to pay off some debts using personal funds, he never fully repaid his investors.

And the pickleball-related fraud was just one piece of a larger web of deception.

Wallace was also found guilty of violating the terms of his probation from a separate case involving a biofuels company in Utah, where he had lied to federal agents. His violations included:

Traveling to Las Vegas without approval and purchasing $50,000 in gambling chips
Failing to disclose financial information and opening unauthorized accounts
Making large financial transactions without reporting them
Living a high-end lifestyle, including membership in an exclusive golf club, travel to Los Angeles, Palm Springs, and Orlando, and even purchasing a Danish soccer club—all without permission from his probation officer

While many legitimate investors and entrepreneurs are helping to shape pickleball’s future, stories like this serve as a reminder to do due diligence before investing in new ventures.

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