BY KEITH EPPS
Albert Leon Morgan III has pulled his share of scams over the years, according to evidence presented in Stafford Circuit Court.
He married his wife in 1994 while using a false first name.
He used phony personal information to join the auxiliary police force in Prince William County in the 1990s, even though by then he was a convicted felon and not legally able to handle a gun.
It will be a while before Morgan, 48, can pull another fast one. He was ordered yesterday in Stafford Circuit Court to serve 18 years in prison.
Morgan was previously convicted in Stafford of arson, two counts of possessing a firearm as a felon, possessing ammunition as a felon and filing a false police report.
An investigation began in December 2008, when a fire at Morgan’s home on Innsbrook Court in Crown Manor caused about $500,000 worth of damage.
Morgan blamed an electrician who had installed an outlet the day before the fire.
But an investigation conducted by fire marshals Ben Gouldman and Jason Smith concluded that Morgan deliberately set the fire.
Authorities claimed that Morgan torched the home as part of a scheme to collect a hefty insurance settlement.
His teenage daughter was in the home when the fire erupted, but she got out safely. A family pet wasn’t as fortunate.
But Morgan’s primary legal problems stemmed from the 25 or so guns that were recovered in the ensuing investigation.
On at least two different occasions investigators saw him handling the weapons, and he purchased ammunition from a Walmart in November of 2009.
Because Morgan had a prior conviction for possessing a firearm as a felon, each of the three weapons offenses carried a mandatory five-year prison term.
Judge Charles Sharp sentenced Morgan to a total of 36 years in prison with half of it suspended. Sharp said it was especially troubling that Morgan had so many guns after being convicted of illegal gun possession before.
Morgan’s wife, daughter and other relatives were in court to support him yesterday.
His daughter, Allison Morgan, testified that in spite of his mistakes he had been a “wonderful father, and I love him.”
Albert Morgan told Sharp that he didn’t set the fire and that he would never hurt anyone.
“I just don’t want to go to prison for the rest of my life,” Morgan said.
Prosecutor Teresa Polinske said Morgan is a dangerous person who has threatened to hurt people before.
“Everything about his man is a fraud. He is a devious, devious person.”
Keith Epps: 540/374-5404
Email: kepps@freelancestar.com
Article source: http://fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2011/112011/11052011/663173?rss=local
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