Cedar Park lawyer convicted of impersonating FBI agent resigns from State Bar

AUSTIN, Texas - A Cedar Park man convicted of impersonating an FBI agent has resigned from the State Bar of Texas.

Jonathan Ferris, also known as Jonathan Jefferson-Bearrie, resigned in April in lieu of facing discipline from the Supreme Court of Texas. Ferris was convicted in June 2021 on two counts of impersonating a federal agent.

According to the Texas Bar Journal, Ferris violated Rules 8.04(a)(2) and 8.04(a)(3) of the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct.

On three separate occasions in July and August 2019, Ferris entered a Temple pharmacy looking to fill an out-of-state prescription for fentanyl patches.

According to the Texas Bar Journal, Ferris had always identified himself to the pharmacy employee as an out-of-town FBI agent on a temporary assignment by:

July 26, 2019: wearing a lanyard with an ID card around his neck with the FBI seal, a photo of him and the letters FBI displayed on the face of the card
August 2, 2019: displaying a pin with the words "Federal Bureau of Investigation" and a small badge in the center of the pin
August 6, 2019: giving the pharmacy employee an envelope stamped with the "Department of Justice Federal Bureau of Investigation" seal

In February 2022, Ferris was sentenced to one year in federal prison and was also ordered to participate in a substance-use treatment program. He also had to pay an assessment of $200 and a fine of $1,000.

Ferris appealed his conviction and lost, but he was re-sentenced to six months, says the Texas Bar Journal. He originally faced up to 3 years in prison.

Ferris's bar license had also been suspended at the time of his resignation for an unrelated issue.

Fentanyl, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, is a powerful synthetic opioid analgesic similar to morphine but 50 to 100 times more potent. It is also a Schedule II prescription drug, and it is typically used to treat patients with severe pain or to manage pain after surgery.