Late Laker Darius Morris' dad, brother sentenced to prison for money order thefts of $5 million

Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times on Jan 8, 2025

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LOS ANGELES — The father and brother of Darius Morris, a former Lakers and Clippers guard who died at age 33 in May, were sentenced Wednesday to federal prison for stealing up to $5.1 million worth of U.S. Postal Service money orders.

Dewayne Morris Jr. was sentenced to 12 years, and his father, Dewayne Morris Sr., to seven years. They were found guilty of conspiracy and three counts of bank fraud following a jury trial in federal court in February, three months before Darius died in his Los Angeles-area apartment of coronary artery disease and a drug overdose. Morris Jr. also was found guilty of witness tampering.

Morris Jr., 41, has been in custody since May 26, 2022, when he was first arraigned on the witness tampering charge, and Morris Sr., 65, has been in custody since Feb. 6, 2024, the day the jury returned its verdict. Both will receive credit for time served.

Morris Sr., a career U.S. Postal Service supervisor for post offices in Venice, Playa del Rey and Marina del Rey, was accused of obtaining 10,000 blank postal money orders and Morris Jr. of fraudulently depositing about 5,000 of them in bank accounts then withdrawing the cash. A subsequent audit revealed that approximately 5,100 of those 10,000 money order forms were missing.

Morris Sr. told investigators that he properly returned some of the 10,000 money order forms, but the indictment alleged that Morris Jr. distributed as many as half of them to co-conspirators, who deposited them into financial institutions using fictitious identities and subsequently withdrew cash from the accounts.

There is no indication that Darius Morris had any connection with the case. According to a report by the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner, he died of coronary artery disease, although the “effects of cocaine, hydrocodone and ethanol” played a role.

Anthony E. Colombo, the lawyer representing Morris Jr., said that Darius Morris had “absolutely no involvement whatsoever in the case. I found him to be pleasant and a gentleman each time I met with him. It is tragic and unfortunate that he passed away.”

Morris, who played for two seasons with the Lakers alongside his mentor Kobe Bryant after starring at Windward High in Mar Vista and the University of Michigan, was found dead May 2 by a Los Angeles-area apartment manager doing a welfare check.

He was remembered for his exuberant personality and radiant smile, first starring on the court at Windward High, which he led to a 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 went on to set assist records at Michigan before being selected by the Lakers in the second round of the 2011 NBA draft. He also played in 10 games for the Clippers in January 2014, along with stints with the Philadelphia 76ers, Memphis Grizzlies and Brooklyn Nets.

In the case against his father and brother, eight other defendants were previously sentenced for converting the stolen money orders to cash by depositing them at banks throughout the country. Several of them testified against the pair at trial.

Trial evidence included bank records showing Dewayne Morris Jr. deposited more than $2 million in cash into his bank accounts over the course of the conspiracy. He also paid for his and Dewayne Morris Sr.’s luxury cars, including a new Mercedes-Benz AMG GT, and extravagant vacations. For example, Morris Jr. paid for their three trips — in a span of just 10 weeks — to Costa Rica, Grand Cayman and Los Cabos, Mexico, including stays at a Four Seasons resort and a Ritz-Carlton.

“These defendants ran a scheme that tricked banks into cashing millions in stolen postal orders to fund their extravagant greed,” U.S. Atty. Tara McGrath said Wednesday during the sentencing at a federal district court in San Diego. “Today’s sentence underscores our commitment to safeguarding the integrity of the U.S. Postal Service while also holding accountable those who defraud financial institutions.”

Colombo appealed the convictions, contending that the case should be dismissed because Michael English, the property manager of the apartment complex where Morris Jr. resided, gave perjured testimony before the grand jury.

The appeal, however, was denied in August, with the judge stating, “Even if Morris Junior’s attacks on English’s testimony undermined the entirety of the overt act allegation at issue, Count 1 of the Superseding Indictment alleges 18 other overt acts, each of which are unrelated to English and his testimony and each of which would support a finding of probable cause.”

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service assisted in the prosecution.

“This father and son engaged in financial fraud for their personal gain, taking advantage of financial institutions and profiting significantly in the process,” said Matt Shields, acting postal inspector in charge of the Los Angeles Division. “Today’s sentencing demonstrates that greed and illegal activity will not be tolerated.”