Portland’s Alberta Street neighborhood is known for its art community and festive street fairs. Alberta Main Street is the nonprofit organization that has put on many of those events over the past decade. However, recently all but two members of the Alberta Main Street Board resigned reportedly due to their frustration with the organization.
Former Alberta Main Street president Devon Horace, who served as president from July 2021 to January 2023, solicited $100,000 in donations from Nike and $5,000 from the Portland Trail Blazers on behalf of the Alberta Street business district. Horace has been accused by the Multnomah County Circuit Court of withdrawing the funds from the district’s account, diverting the money to his own account and falsifying records to show to the organization’s treasurer. Horace has pleaded not guilty to all accusations, which included four counts of first-degree aggravated theft, five counts of first-degree theft and seven counts of falsifying business records.
When Horace left the position, former board member James Armstrong agreed to step in as the Interim Board President and made a review of the financial records a priority. Armstrong realized there was a major monetary loss that led right to Horace.
Prosecutors say that the full extent of the misconduct may not yet be fully uncovered.
“Given the sophistication and breadth of the scams, combined with how quickly the defendant spent the proceeds in this case, the state is concerned that [Horace] could be further victimizing other community members and committing fraud,” says the DA’s office.
Devon Horace moved to Portland in 2015 from New York and was featured as a “40 Under 40” of “the Portland’s area’s brightest rising stars“ in the Portland Business Journal in 2023. He has worked for Nike, the Portland Trailblazers and holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree in Leadership and Management from Concordia University. Horace has been permitted to reside in Seattle until his next court appearance, which is scheduled for Wednesday, June 12th. Armstrong says they are cooperating with investigators. When contacted by the Concordia News media team, Horace declined to respond.
To learn more about this story, join Concordia Neighborhood Association at our next General Meeting on Wednesday, June 12th at 7:00 p.m. at the Kennedy School community room.
After living east, south, north and west, Marsha Sandman is home at last. And she wants to hear your story. Contact her at MarshaJSandman@ gmail.com.