Jeffrey James Morris, Wire Fraud, West Virginia 2023

WHEELING, WV – In a shocking turn of events, 36-year-old Wheeling businessman Jeffrey James Morris has been charged with wire fraud in a federal complaint. According to the complaint, Morris, the managing member and majority owner of Roxby Development, LLC, allegedly induced an individual to provide him with $350,000 to renovate the Scottish Rite Cathedral in East Wheeling.

However, the funds were instead used for purposes other than those intended, it is alleged. Morris is also accused of misrepresenting the work performed on the Cathedral, the status of the historic tax credits, and the amount of rental income from a purported tenant.

The Roxby companies, which include Roxby Development, LLC, received a total of $6.9 million dollars from approximately twenty investors between October 2019 until July 2022. Morris’s scheme has left many innocent investors reeling.

“Jeffrey Morris made misrepresentations to people in Wheeling, West Virginia, and throughout the country in order to fund a fraudulent scheme,” said United States Attorney William Ihlenfeld. “His arrest today brings an end to a ruse in which innocent investors were tricked into providing him with millions of dollars.”

Morris appeared in federal court this afternoon where he surrendered his passport and was released under terms and conditions imposed by the court. U.S. Attorney Ihlenfeld and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jarod Douglas are prosecuting the case on behalf of the government.

The matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service-CI. Morris is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. Additional charges are expected to be filed at a later date.

As the investigation continues, it is clear that Morris’s scheme has had far-reaching consequences for the people of Wheeling and beyond. The community is left to wonder how this could have happened in their own backyard.

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