ALEX MURDAUGH INDICTED ON 22 NEW FEDERAL CHARGES INCLUDING WIRE FRAUD AND MONEY LAUNDERING
Charleston, South Carolina – December 1, 2023 – A federal grand jury has returned a 22-count superseding indictment against disgraced former attorney Richard Alexander Murdaugh, age 55, of Hampton County, South Carolina. The indictment, unsealed today in the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina, accuses Murdaugh of orchestrating a multi-year scheme to defraud clients and his former law firm of millions of dollars.
According to the Department of Justice, from 2011 to 2021, Murdaugh allegedly devised a scheme to steal legal settlements and other funds. The charges include 14 counts of wire fraud, 4 counts of bank fraud, 1 count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud, 1 count of money laundering, and 2 counts of transactional money laundering. Prosecutors claim Murdaugh used the stolen funds to finance a lavish lifestyle, including the purchase of luxury vehicles, boats, and real estate. The indictment further alleges that Murdaugh directed settlement payments to his personal bank accounts and fabricated documents to conceal the theft.
This development arrives approximately ten months after Murdaugh was convicted in state court for the murders of his wife, Maggie, and son, Paul, on June 7, 2021. That conviction resulted in a double life sentence without the possibility of parole. The new federal charges are separate and unrelated to the murder case, focusing exclusively on his alleged financial crimes. The investigation remains ongoing.