South Carolina Lawyers Weekly
A grand jury has issued a total of 22 new indictments against suspended attorneys Cory Fleming and Alex Murdaugh, South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced in a March 16 press release.
The new charges—four against Murdaugh and 18 against Fleming—include money laundering, computer crimes, criminal conspiracy, false statement or misrepresentation in connection with an insurance transaction, and breach of trust.
Murdaugh, whose law license was suspended in September, was previously indicted for offenses related to a scheme to commit suicide and defraud an insurance company. He was indicted in November 2021, December 2021, and January 2022 for 71 counts of financial and computer crimes, accused of bilking victims out of more than $8 million.
Fleming, whose law license was suspended in October, is accused of stealing more than $3.5 million.
In the superseding March indictment, Murdaugh and Fleming are charged with one count of criminal conspiracy for conspiring to surreptitiously give Murdaugh a share of Fleming’s fee from the multi-million-dollar settlement of civil claims against Murdaugh resulting from the death of his housekeeper, Gloria Satterfield, who died in a fall at Murdaugh’s home.
Murdaugh’s new charges—three counts of making false statements or misrepresentation in connection with an insurance transaction—arise out of an alleged scheme to defraud multiple insurance companies while surreptitiously delivering to him a share of the proceeds resulting from the settlement of the claims against him.
Fleming’s new charges—three counts of false statement or misrepresentation in connection with an insurance transaction, four counts of breach of trust with fraudulent intent, three counts of breach of trust with fraudulent intent, six counts of money laundering, and one count of computer crime—arise from the same alleged scheme to defraud multiple insurance companies, but also include allegedly defrauding the personal representatives and heirs of Satterfield’s estate.
The indictment alleges schemes by Fleming to defraud the victims of not only the $3,483,431.95 delivered to Murdaugh, but also of $140,000 wrongfully appropriated or retained by Fleming.
Altogether, through 15 indictments containing 75 charges against Murdaugh, the state grand jury has indicted him for schemes to defraud victims of $8,492,888.31. If convicted on all counts, both men could face decades in prison and hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines.
The investigation is being conducted by South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the United States Attorney’s Office and will be prosecuted by the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office.
Staff reports
