Convicted killer Alex Murdaugh has been charged in a sweeping federal indictment alleging that he siphoned $3.4 million from his dead housekeeper’s insurance settlement and defrauded his partners and other clients for 16 years.
The 22-count indictment unsealed on Wednesday outlines three separate schemes the disgraced South Carolina attorney allegedly used to steal money and property from his personal injury clients.
If convicted on all 22 counts in the new indictment, which includes charges of bank fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering, Murdaugh would face a total of up to 480 years in prison and fines of up to nearly $13 million.
In a statement to DailyMail.com, Murdaugh’s attorneys Dick Harpootlian and Jim Griffin said that their client ‘has been cooperating with the United States Attorneys’ Office and federal agencies in their investigation of a broad range of activities.’
‘We anticipate that the charges brought today will be quickly resolved without a trial,’ the lawyers added, suggesting a plea deal in the case is imminent.
Murdaugh, 54, was convicted in March of murdering his own wife and son, and handed two life sentences to serve in a South Carolina state prison.
Prosecutors said he stole millions of dollars from clients and partners, and found himself teetering on financial disaster, which led him to fatally shoot his 22-year-old son, Paul, and 52-year-old wife, Maggie, at their Colleton County home.
Convicted killer Alex Murdaugh has been charged in a sweeping federal indictment outlining three separate schemes the disgraced South Carolina attorney allegedly used to steal money and property from his personal injury clients
The family’s longtime housekeeper Gloria Satterfield died in February 2018 after appearing to suffer a fall on the stairs of the Murdaugh family home.
‘Trust in our legal system begins with trust in its lawyers,’ said US Attorney Adair F. Boroughs in a statement.
‘South Carolinians turn to lawyers when they are at their most vulnerable, and in our state, those who abuse the public’s trust and enrich themselves by fraud, theft, and self-dealing will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,’ he added.
The new indictment describes three financial fraud schemes, including one to siphon an insurance settlement in the aftermath of the death of Murdaugh’s longtime housekeeper, Gloria Satterfield.
Satterfield died in February 2018 after appearing to suffer a fall on the stairs of the Murdaugh family home.
The indictment, echoing allegations from prior civil suits, says that Murdaugh conspired with Cory Fleming, a personal injury attorney in Beaufort, and encouraged Satterfield’s family to sue him for an insurance payout using Fleming as their attorney.
Murdaugh’s insurance companies settled the estate’s claims for $505,000 and $3,800,000, but the indictment alleges that Murdaugh and Fleming conspired to siphon settlement funds for their own personal enrichment.
Prosecutors say Murdaugh directed the Beaufort attorney to draft checks totaling $3,483,431.95 made payable to a phony account he set up under the name of ‘Forge.’
Fleming, Murdaugh’s former law school classmate, has agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, according to court records filed Wednesday.
Prosecutors named banker Russell Laffitte (left), and Murdaugh’s college buddy and suspended lawyer Cory Fleming (right) as co-conspirators in the alleged fraud schemes
Murdaugh, 54, was convicted in March of murdering his own wife and son, and handed two life sentences to serve in a South Carolina state prison
Another scheme outlined in the indictment describes how Murdaugh used his relationship with banker Russell Laffitte to siphon settlement funds from his personal injury clients from July 2011 until at least October 2021.
Prosecutors say that Murdaugh directed law firm employees to make settlement checks payable to ‘Palmetto State Bank’ and delivered them to Laffite, who diverted the funds for Murdaugh’s benefit.
Murdaugh used the siphoned client funds to pay off personal loans and make cash withdrawals, while Laffitte collected over $350,000 in fees in the scheme, according to the indictment.
In November 2022, Laffitte was convicted on six federal charges, including conspiracy to commit wire and bank fraud, bank fraud, and wire fraud for his role in this scheme. He is currently awaiting sentencing.
From 2011 to 2021, Murdaugh made about $16 million as a lawyer, while stealing about $9 million from his law firm, settling money for clients and elsewhere, according to prior indictments.
Murdaugh faces the following charges in the new indictment:
One count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud, punishable by up to 30 years in prison and a fine of up to $1,000,000One count of bank fraud, punishable by up to 30 years in prison and a fine of up to $1,000,000Two counts of wire fraud, punishable by up to 30 years in prison and a fine of up to $1,000,000Three counts of wire fraud, punishable by up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000One count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, punishable by up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $1,000,000 Fourteen counts of money laundering, punishable by up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $500,000
Developing story, more to follow.