One-time-lawyer-turned felon faces more charges

Eugene Harris seemed to have a bright career ahead of him - a law degree from Regent University, a position as a public defender in Chesapeake and later a private practice in Portsmouth.

What he lacked, prosecutors say, is any respect for the law.

Last February, Harris got into a fight outside of a Greenbrier nightclub, Winston's Cafe. The dispute ended when Harris punched an acquaintance - a Chesapeake police officer trying to break things up.

On Tuesday, a jury found Harris, 31, guilty of assaulting a police officer and recommended six months in jail for the felony.

More serious charges lie ahead. Harris is scheduled to appear before a Portsmouth judge later this month for three other felony charges. Prosecutors accuse Harris of cornering and robbing a former client.

Just a few years after passing the bar, Harris faces the loss of his license and liberty.

It's uncommon in Virginia for attorneys to lose their right to practice. According to Virginia State Bar records, just 17 of 28,000 members last fiscal year lost their licenses because of disciplinary actions.

Most cases arise through misconduct with clients and criminal acts involving theft, forgery or fraud. Edward L. Davis, bar counsel for the State Bar, confirmed that Harris is being investigated.

The public defender's office in Chesapeake hired Harris as a junior litigator in October 2007. It seemed like a steppingstone for the New Jersey native and eldest son of a doctor: He graduated from Regent University Law School in 2004 and married a fellow Regent graduate and aide to U.S. Sen. George Allen.

The public defender's role offered Harris regular courtroom experience, handling cases from petty larceny to domestic disputes and violent crime.

In 2008, Ciara Brown needed a lawyer. She was accused of stabbing her husband, a Navy sailor, during an argument. Brown, just 21 and broke, turned to the Chesapeake public defender's office.

Harris was assigned to the case. Brown quickly fell for her lawyer. "He's a slick talker," she said in an interview.

According to Brown, Harris told her he was on probation at work for having inappropriate relationships with previous clients. So Harris passed along her case to another lawyer and the two started dating, she said.

When Harris' boss learned about the affair, he was fired, Brown said.

Chesapeake chief Public Defender Kathleen Ortiz confirmed that Harris worked for the office between October 2007 and July 2008. She declined to comment on his departure.

Harris and Brown moved into a $750-a- month, second-floor walk-up on Court Street in Portsmouth. It became home and law office, Brown said.

Harris accepted every bit of work thrown his way - regardless of whether people could pay for his services, she said. One client, local concert promoter Jorge Concepcion, owed more than $2,600, she said.

According to court records, Harris arranged to meet Concepcion at Krush, a restaurant in Portsmouth's Olde Towne, the day after Thanksgiving 2008. Harris and Concepcion met near the restaurant. Brown and at least two other men arrived with Harris.

One person in Harris' party demanded money from Concepcion and reached into the former client's pocket and took $100, according to court records.

Concepcion told police he tried to leave but Harris jumped into his car with him. Harris ordered Concepcion to write him a check for $2,600, according to police.

Prosecutors charged Harris with three felonies: robbery, abduction and conspiracy. Portsmouth Circuit Judge Johnny E. Morrison heard Harris' case in October and has not delivered a verdict.

Brown faces four felony counts in the incident at a trial scheduled for next month. She said Harris and Concepcion had a friendly meeting while she waited in another car.

A week after the incident, she left Harris. Harris' marriage also ended in divorce.

Harris didn't respond to an e-mail request for an interview about his cases.

On Tuesday, prosecutors and public defenders slipped into Courtroom One in Chesapeake to watch Harris' day long trial for assaulting a police officer. Dressed in a gray suit, blue shirt and orange tie, Harris testified a fight broke out in the parking lot of Winston's Cafe early in the morning of Feb. 20, 2009.

As he left the restaurant to get to his car, Harris said he was punched when he tried to break up a skirmish involving a friend.

Harris said he was glad to see police Officer Michael Bean, an acquaintance from court, because he had been assaulted. "Thank God the police were there," he said.

Bean testified he saw about 20 people outside the restaurant when he responded to a call. Bean ordered Harris to stop fighting, he said. The two struggled, Bean said, before Harris bounced off the store front, turned, looked at him and punched him twice in the face.

"What makes the defendant unique is his job," Kristin Paulding, a Virginia Beach prosecutor brought in to try to the case, said to the jury. "He's a smart man. He has a law degree."

The jury deliberated just minutes before recommending six months in jail. Judge John W. Brown denied a request to let Harris report to jail at a later date to get his affairs in order.

This time Eugene Harris left the courtroom with two sheriff's deputies in escort.

Louis Hansen, (757) 222-5221, louis.hansen@pilotonline.com