Ethics
Lawyer accused of storing 1,000 pounds of marijuana at law office enters guilty plea
A Virginia lawyer has been temporarily suspended after pleading guilty for his role in a conspiracy to distribute large amounts of marijuana. (Image from Shutterstock)
A Virginia lawyer has been temporarily suspended after pleading guilty for his role in a conspiracy to distribute large amounts of marijuana.
Lawyer Matthew Taylor Morris, 38, of Virginia Beach, Virginia, was suspended effective Oct. 1 and ordered to show cause why his law license should not be further suspended or revoked, according to a Sept. 27 show-cause order.
The Legal Profession Blog noted the temporary suspension and a Sept. 24 press release on Morris’ guilty plea.
Morris allowed other participants in the conspiracy to store 1,000 pounds of marijuana and cash proceeds at his Virginia Beach law firm, the Top Tier Law Group, prosecutors said.
The street value of the marijuana products ranged from $800,000 to $1.6 million, according to a statement of facts signed by Morris and filed with the show-cause order.
Morris also allowed a co-conspirator to store cash proceeds from marijuana sales at his law office, the statement said. In one photo taken at the law office, a co-conspirator posed with more than $100,000 in cash. On the wall behind him are Morris’ diplomas and legal credentials.
As compensation, Morris received part of his monthly rent for his law office from a co-conspirator “for several months beginning in late 2021”, prosecutors said. Morris also received 70 pounds of THC products, at the rate of 15 pounds per month, that he could sell to his customers.
Morris also allegedly received a handgun from a co-conspirator, even though Morris unlawfully used Adderall, cocaine, opiates and THC, prosecutors said.
Morris is a former prosecutor in Portsmouth, Virginia, who resigned from the commonwealth attorney’s office Sept. 6, four days before the indictment, WVEC reported here and here.
Morris joined the prosecution office three months after the drug conspiracy allegedly ended in May 2022, according to the Virginian-Pilot.
Morris pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute marijuana and possession with intent to distribute marijuana. His sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 22, 2025.
Morris is represented by lawyer James O. Broccoletti in the criminal case. He did not immediately respond to an ABA Journal email seeking comment.
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