Feds say man knocked off Gresham bank, drove straight to police station to confess

Raymond Knudson mugshot.jpgView full sizeRaymond Carl Knudson

A man walked into a Gresham Bank of America on April 6 and wordlessly handed a teller a one-line note: "Give me all the money no marked bills no die pack."

The frightened teller handed the man $425 in cash, which he put in a white paper bag. Then he walked out. The bank heist, known in police parlance as a "note job," occurred at 10:22 a.m.

Precisely three minutes later, according to a criminal complaint affidavit, the man walked into the lobby of the Gresham Police Department carrying a McDonald's bag and announced that he wanted to turn himself in. A sergeant arrested him and looked inside his bag. It held $425.

Detective Anthony L. Cobb questioned his suspect, 50-year-old Raymond Carl Knudson, who said he drove straight from the bank to the police station -- a distance of 1.3 miles -- to confess. Knudson pointed out that he misspelled "dye" in his note.

When Cobb asked why he robbed the bank, Knudson said he had watched "Inside Job," according to the detective's affidavit. The Academy Award-winning documentary explored causes of the 2008 global financial meltdown.

The film features U.S. Rep. Michael Capuano, D-Mass., questioning a panel of bankers: "You come to us today telling us, 'We're sorry, we won't do it again, trust us.' Well I have some people in my constituency that actually robbed some of your banks, and they say the same thing."

On Tuesday, Knudson was charged in Portland's U.S. District Court with bank burglary, which carries a potential 20-year prison term.

On Wednesday, he pleaded not guilty.

--

If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.