Alex Murdaugh appears in a prison photo released in March 2023. (South Carolina Department of Corrections)
Convicted double murderer and disgraced attorney Alex Murdaugh has been indicted on federal financial crimes, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina announced Wednesday.
On Tuesday, a federal grand jury sitting in Charleston handed down a 22-count, 28-page indictment against the infamous Lowcountry lawyer, accusing him of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud, bank fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering.
Murdaugh’s legal team provided Law&Crime with a statement regarding the latest charges almost as soon as they were made public.
“Alex has been cooperating with the United States Attorneys’ Office and federal agencies in their investigation of a broad range of activities,” Dick Harpootlian and Jim Griffin said in an email. “We anticipate that the charges brought today will be quickly resolved without a trial.”
More Law&Crime coverage: Alex Murdaugh indicted on tax evasion – bringing total alleged financial crimes to 101
According to federal authorities, the indictment alleges that during Murdaugh’s previous time as a lawyer at his then-namesake, and since-shuttered, personal injury law firm, he engaged in three different schemes to steal money and property from his clients.
Murdaugh is already serving two consecutive life sentences for the June 2021 murder of his wife and younger son.
The defendant is presently being held at McCormick Correctional Institution, a Palmetto State prison located at 386 Redemption Way, McCormick. If he is convicted of federal charges, he would likely be moved to a federal prison.
A writ of habeas corpus was filed in the case by federal prosecutor Emily Limehouse, court records reviewed by Law&Crime show. The writ was filed so that Murdaugh can be moved from McCormick to the U.S. Courthouse in Charleston or anywhere else the federal government needs him to be for the duration of their case.
The lead prosecutor on the case is currently noticed as Kathleen Michelle Stoughton. The case is being overseen by U.S. District Judge Richard M. Gergel.
During his double murder trial, the defendant accepted legal culpability for numerous schemes to defraud.
More Law&Crime coverage: Alex Murdaugh has admitted to dozens of financial crimes and faces over 700 years in prison for those concessions alone
“Trust in our legal system begins with trust in its lawyers,” U.S. Attorney Adair F. Boroughs said in a press release. “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. We are grateful to the FBI for their tireless work on this case and to the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division for their work to hold Alex Murdaugh, and those who enabled him, accountable in our state system. We remain committed to doing our part to further that effort in the federal system.”
Read the indictment in full below:
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