A South Carolina grand jury issued four more indictments against legal scion Alex Murdaugh, who remains jailed on a slew of charges for financial fraud.
On Friday, South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson said in a statement that the indictments, all filed this month, consist of 27 new charges against Murdaugh, 53, whose law license is suspended. The new charges Murdaugh is facing include computer crimes, forgery, and breach of trust with fraudulent intent.
The four indictments were filed in Allendale and Hampton counties. FitsNews reported that Murdaugh now faces a total of 74 charges, as a new breach of trust charge replaces November’s indictment.
The indictments also accuse Murdaugh of stealing an additional $2.6 million, bringing the total of stolen funds to $8.8 million.
According to FitsNews, the third indictment stems from an incident in which Murdaugh stole money from Hakeem Pinckney, a deaf man who was left paralyzed following a 2009 car accident.
Murdaugh reportedly represented Pinckney in court but, at some point, convinced Pinckney’s family to hire his friend and fellow attorney Corey Fleming, who later made out an $89,000 settlement check to a trust fund for Murdaugh’s law firm. Instead, the Murdaugh moved the money to one of his fraudulent accounts, FitsNews reported.
Months after Pinckney died at a care facility in December 2011, Murdaugh allegedly stole $309,000 from his estate. The money was for Pinckney’s family, who intended to use it to cover medical bills Pinckney accrued while spending two years on a ventilator, according to FitsNews.
Murdaugh was arrested in Florida in October for allegedly stealing $4.3 million from the estate of his former housekeeper, Gloria Satterfield, who suffered a fatal fall on his property in February 2018. Since then, the attorney has been accused of stealing money from a slew of clients and his former law firm.
At the time of his arrest in Florida, Murdaugh was on bond for an alleged suicide-for-hire plot. On September 3, Murdaugh allegedly had ex-client Curtis Smith, 61, try to fatally shoot him so his surviving son would receive a $10 million life insurance payout. Alex Murdaugh reportedly suffered head injuries and called 911 for help.
A day before the shooting, Murdaugh was forced out of his family law firm amid allegations he misappropriated funds. He announced he was entering rehabilitation for drugs two days after the shooting.
Months before the alleged botched plot, on June 7, Murdaugh’s wife, Maggie and Paul, 52 and 22, were found fatally shot on their 1,770-acre lodge in Colleton County, South Carolina. No arrests have been made in connection with their slayings.
Alex Murdaugh remains jailed on $7 million bail.
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[Featured image: Alex Murdaugh/Hampton County jail]
