Embattled Montco Lawyer Unrecognizable In Court

    Disbarred after 29 years as a criminal defense lawyer, Gregory Noonan, who is serving a state prison sentence for drug dealing, was back in Montgomery County Court this week fighting to keep prosecutors from snatching $8,000 that investigators seized from his Towamencin home during the 2013 drug investigation.

Montgomery County Courthouse/Photo by Carl Hessler Jr.

    Noonan’s return to a courtroom created quite a stir as former colleagues were shocked by his appearance. Now sporting long, gray hair and a gray beard and appearing a bit heavier, Noonan, once a widely-known lawyer in Montgomery County legal circles whose office was in Norristown, was unrecognizable to some as he stood in court wearing his blue prison uniform.

    “Oh my God, is that Greg Noonan?” one lawyer said as he entered the courtroom where Noonan was appearing."I can't believe it."

    “I would never have known it was Greg Noonan, never,” another former colleague said, adding the whole situation was “sad.”

    I too was amazed at how drastically Noonan’s appearance has changed since he’s been incarcerated.

Lawyer Gregory Noonan at work in Nov. 2013/Photo by Carl Hessler Jr.

  

State prison inmate Gregory Noonan July 2015/Photo by Carl Hessler Jr.

 

Gregory Noonan leaves court for return to prison/Photo by Carl Hessler Jr.

    During the forfeiture hearing, Noonan, 54, who is serving a five-to 15-year prison term for selling oxycodone to an undercover detective on two occasions between November and December 2013, implied the $8,000 found in a drawer of his home represented his personal savings. But Assistant District Attorney Laura Adshead argued the money represents the proceeds of Noonan’s drug activity and should be forfeited to county detectives.

   But John Walfish, Noonan’s former law partner, believes the money was withdrawn by Noonan from the law firm’s accounts and should be turned over to him.

    Judge Wendy Demchick-Alloy took the matter under advisement and will decide where the money goes at a later date. Stay tuned.