Portsmouth ex-prosecutor sentenced to 18 months for being part of a marijuana distribution ring
NORFOLK — A former Portsmouth prosecutor who admitted to taking part in a major marijuana distribution ring while working as a lawyer in private practice was sentenced Tuesday to 18 months in federal prison.
U.S. District Judge Jamar K. Walker also ordered Matthew Taylor Morris to undergo two years of supervised probation after his release and perform 200 hours of community service. Walker gave him until April 7 to report to prison.
Morris, 38, pleaded guilty in September to possessing and distributing marijuana, and conspiring to possess and distribute marijuana.
While the maximum penalty he faced was 10 years, federal sentencing guidelines suggested between 24 and 30 months. The guidelines recommend a punishment range based on a defendant's history and the circumstances of their crimes.
The fact that Morris took part in the drug ring while he was a practicing attorney, and allowed substantial amounts of marijuana to be stored in his law office, was particularly troubling, Walker said. But the judge gave him credit for taking responsibility for his crimes and his otherwise clean history.
'The court has struggled mightily with what sentence to impose on you,' Walker told Morris. 'What makes your case so much more egregious is the fact that you used your profession to further advance the conspiracy.'
Assistant U.S. Attorney Graham Stolle had asked the judge for a 30-month sentence, while defense attorney James Broccoletti suggested Morris get a year of home confinement.
According to a statement of facts filed in the case, Morris was working with three others in the drug enterprise: Donald Rogers, Nicholas Capehart and Jeffrey Sines. It began in March 2021, and ended in May 2022 — three months before Morris began working as a prosecutor for the city of Portsmouth.
Morris had a law office in Virginia Beach at the time, and allowed Rogers to store the drugs there. Rogers, who owned VA Premier PAWN, kept about 1,000 pounds of marijuana worth between $800,000 and $1.6 million at the office.
Rogers also gave Morris about 15 pounds of marijuana each month to sell, and Morris often referred his legal clients to Rogers for drug purchases.
In an eight-page letter to the court, Morris said his drug issues first began in 2016, around the time he opened his private law practice. He and his girlfriend were using Percocet at the time, he said, but quit in 2017 after learning they were expecting a baby.
Their drug problems resurfaced in 2019, when they both began abusing Adderall, he wrote. His law practice started to fall apart when the COVID pandemic hit in 2020, and his clients stopped paying their bills. He got involved in the drug enterprise to support himself and his family, he said.
In the summer of 2022, Morris said he quit using drugs, closed his law practice and took a job with the Portsmouth prosecutor's office. Commonwealth's Attorney Stephanie Morales knew he had some pending matters with the Virginia State Bar at the time, but decided to give him a chance anyway, he said.
Morris' three co-defendants in the case also have pleaded guilty. Capehart was sentenced earlier this month to two years, and Sines to 2½ years. Rogers is awaiting sentencing.
Jane Harper, jane.harper@pilotonline.com
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