Jeffrey Morris Federal Trial Moved to March

WHEELING -- The federal trial of Jeffrey Morris, originally scheduled to begin next Tuesday, has been continued until March 26, 2024.

The United States District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia confirmed the continuance Tuesday afternoon.

Morris's attorney, Federal Public Defender Brian Kornbrath, filed an order for a Complex Case designation, which Judge John Preston Bailey, U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of West Virginia, granted on Nov. 2.

Kornbrath also requested the court amend the current scheduling of the case, as "discovery is voluminous and a number of material witnesses are located outside of this district."

Morris, the head of Roxby Development and former owner of the McLure Hotel and Scottish Rite Cathedral, among other properties, faces 28 federal counts, 18 of wire fraud and 10 of tax evasion. Morris is accused of defrauding investors and employees within his company.

According to the indictment, Morris received nearly $7 million from approximately 20 investors.

Morris allegedly used those funds to pay other investors, to pay personal expenses, pay debts of a company unrelated to Roxby and pay for credit card transactions unrelated to Roxby renovations.

Morris also is accused of claiming improvements to the properties that were never made to induce additional investments.

He is also charged with withholding taxes from his employees' paychecks but then failing to pay more than $252,000 to the Internal Revenue Service, to include Medicare and social security taxes.

Morris' 28-count indictment was announced in late September. He was indicted earlier on one count of wire fraud, forcing him to turn over his passport.