[ad_1]
The father and brother of former Lakers and Clippers guard Darius Morris, who died in May at age 33, were sentenced to federal prison Wednesday for stealing up to $5.1 million worth of U.S. money orders.
Dwayne Morris Jr. was sentenced to 12 years in prison and his father, Dwayne Morris Sr., was sentenced to seven years in prison. In February, three months before Darius died of coronary artery disease and a drug overdose in his Los Angeles-area apartment, the two were convicted by jury in federal court of conspiracy and three counts of bank fraud. . Morris Jr. was also convicted of witness tampering.
Morris Jr., 41, has been in custody since May 26, 2022, when he was first charged with questioning a witness, and Morris Sr., 65, has been in custody since May 26, 2022, the day the jury returns. He has been detained since February 6th. The verdict. Both receive credit for service time.
Morris Sr., a career supervisor for the United States Postal Service at post offices in Venice, Playa del Rey, and Marina del Rey, was accused of obtaining 10,000 blank postal money orders. , Morris Jr. was accused of fraudulently depositing approximately 5,000 of them into a bank account and then withdrawing them. cash. A subsequent audit revealed that approximately 5,100 of the 10,000 postal money order forms were missing.
Although Morris Sr. told investigators that he properly returned some of the 10,000 money order forms, the indictment alleges that Morris Jr. distributed half of them to co-conspirators and that co-conspirators He claims that he used his identity to deposit postal money orders at financial institutions and then withdraw cash. From your account.
There is no indication that Darius Morris had anything to do with the incident. A Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office report said he died of coronary artery disease, although “the effects of cocaine, hydrocodone, and ethanol” played a role.
Anthony E. Colombo, an attorney representing Morris Jr., said Darius Morris had “no involvement whatsoever in the incident.” Every time I met him, I found him friendly and a gentleman. His passing is tragic and unfortunate. ”
Morris, who played two seasons with the Lakers alongside his mentor Kobe Bryant after starring at Windward High School in Mar Vista and the University of Michigan, was found dead on May 2 by a caretaker at a Los Angeles-area apartment complex conducting a welfare check. was discovered.
He will be remembered for his vibrant personality and bright smile, which he first took to the court at Windward High School and led to the 2009 CIF State Division V championship. He scored 13 of his game-high 25 points in the fourth quarter of the state final and was named CIF Southern Section Player of the Year.
Morris set the assist record at Michigan and was drafted by the Lakers in the second round of the 2011 NBA Draft. He played in 10 games for the Clippers in January 2014, and also played for the Philadelphia 76ers, Memphis Grizzlies, and Brooklyn Nets.
In the case against his father and brother, eight other defendants had previously been convicted of depositing stolen money orders at banks across the country and converting them into cash. Several of them testified against the two men at trial.
Trial evidence included bank records showing that Dwayne Morris Jr. deposited more than $2 million in cash into bank accounts during the course of the conspiracy. He also paid for luxury cars and luxury vacations for himself and Dwayne Morris Sr., including a new Mercedes-Benz AMG GT. For example, Morris Jr. paid for three trips to Costa Rica, Grand Cayman, and Los Cabos, Mexico, in just 10 weeks, including stays at the Four Seasons Resort and the Ritz-Carlton.
“These defendants executed a scheme to defraud banks into converting millions of dollars in stolen money orders to fund their extravagant desires,” said US Atty. Tara McGrath said during her sentencing Wednesday in U.S. District Court in San Diego. “Today’s ruling underscores our commitment to protecting the integrity of the U.S. Postal Service and holding accountable those who defraud financial institutions.”
Colombo appealed the conviction, arguing that the case should be dismissed because Michael English, the manager of the apartment complex where Morris Jr. lived, gave perjured testimony before the grand jury.
However, that appeal was dismissed in August, with the judge ruling that “even if Morris Jr.’s attack on English’s testimony undermines the entire public conduct claim at issue, Section 1 of the superseding indictment does not preclude other “He alleges 18 public acts, each of which is an act.” They are independent of English and his testimony, and each would support a finding of probable cause. ”
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service assisted in the prosecution.
“This father and son committed financial fraud for personal gain, used financial institutions, and made significant profits in the process,” said Matt Shields, acting postal inspector in charge of the Los Angeles division. ” he said. “Today’s verdict shows that greed and illegal behavior will not be tolerated.”
[ad_2]Source link
