Fraudster Keith Morgan threatens judge and prosecutor
- Published
Conman Keith Morgan was sentenced to eight years for fraud in October
A fraudster serving time for a £1m Hollywood land con made threats to the judge who convicted him.
Keith Morgan, 62, formerly of Church Village, was already serving an eight-year jail sentence when he wrote to trial Judge Tracy Lloyd Clark.
In separate letters he told Judge Clark she was "lucky not to be on his hit list" and he had "taken out a contract" against the prosecution barrister.
Morgan was given an additional 58 weeks on his sentence at Bristol Crown Court.
In October, Morgan was convicted of defrauding a US businessman, New York-based Wa'el Chehab, by boasting he owned some of the most valuable land in Hollywood.
On Wednesday, it was revealed in court he had also threatened Mr Chehab and Det Con Neil Richards, who investigated the case, in further letters sent while he was in prison.
He wrote in a letter to Tim Evans, the prosecuting barrister at his trial, that he "has broken all the codes my people live by and… he will now pay a price".
The letter added that "if I am unable to sort matters myself, payments have already been made on contracts against Richards, Evans and Chehab".
At the time Mr Evans was off work looking after his ill father and Morgan finished the letter with the words: "Tim EVANS enjoy your holiday".
Nikki Coombs, prosecuting, said Mr Evans was "horrified" by the thought that Morgan knew his whereabouts.
Conman Keith Morgan spent more than a year building trust with the businessman he went on to defraud
"Mr Evans does not use social media and was worried Morgan had found out where he lived or paid someone to do so. He started to panic," Ms Coombs told the court.
In a statement, Mr Evans said "looking over my shoulder" would be a "difficult habit to break" and that he would "never forget Keith Morgan".
Sentencing Morgan, Judge Peter Blair QC said: "You threatened revenge against the prosecution barrister, the person you defrauded and the detective constable who undertook the investigation in your case.
"The harm caused to them was significant and they feared for the safety for themselves and those close to them."