Montco Attorney Gets Long Prison Term For Selling Pills to Undercover Cop
By Jim Melwert
NORRISTOWN, Pa. (CBS) -- A former criminal defense attorney who was caught selling prescription drugs to an undercover officer was sentenced today to 5-15 years in prison.
Gregory Noonan, 53, of Lansdale, Pa., was disbarred after he was arrested selling more than 300 oxycodone pills to an undercover police officer in Philadelphia last December. He also admitted to stealing thousands of dollars from a client's settlement.
Nearly a dozen of Noonan's family members were in court today for his sentencing, his twin sister telling the judge her brother will have their support when he gets out of prison.
But assistant district attorney Jason Whalley asked for a sentence in the mid-range of the guidelines, pointing out that Noonan had just defended a doctor accused of illegally selling prescription drugs.
"He heard testimony from addicts' families about how that addiction tore those families apart. The next day he sold pills to an undercover officer," Whalley said.
Noonan says he became addicted to painkillers after he started taking them because of gout. As he was led from the courtroom in handcuffs, Noonan told reporters, "The judge was fair."
With credit for time already served and good behavior, Noonan could be out in about three years.