Alex Murdaugh, a convicted murderer, has been indicted on 22 counts by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina, including conspiracy to commit wire fraud, bank fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering. These charges follow his conviction and life sentence for the murder of his wife and son. In addition to these federal charges, Murdaugh faces over 100 state crimes, including money laundering and drug trafficking, and accusations of attempting to stage his own suicide.

Murdaugh, a former South Carolina personal injury attorney, is accused of three schemes to steal from his clients. The first, from 2005 to 2021, involved defrauding clients through means such as redirecting their settlements to his personal accounts, claiming false attorney fees, and fabricating expenses. In the second scheme, Murdaugh allegedly worked with bank teller Russell Laffitte to siphon hundreds of thousands of dollars from clients’ settlements. Laffitte, who acted as Murdaugh’s representative, collected over $350,000 in “fees” from Murdaugh’s clients. In the third scheme, Murdaugh is accused of creating a bank account with the same name as an insurance settlement corporation and using it for personal gain.

Murdaugh is also accused of defrauding the family of his former housekeeper, Gloria Satterfield, and their insurance carriers between February 2018 and October 2020. After Satterfield’s death on his property, Murdaugh advised her family to hire his friend, Corey Fleming, to file a claim against him for a death settlement. Upon settlement of $4.3 million, Murdaugh allegedly conspired to divert the funds to himself, directing over $3 million to the fraudulent account named “Forge”.

Fleming was charged separately but reportedly had no knowledge of Murdaugh’s fraudulent activities. Nevertheless, he allegedly played a part in advancing the scheme, such as filing false accounting court documents and listing incorrect attorney fees. Fleming has agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and testify in court, in return for a recommendation of no jail time.

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