Alex Murdaugh is facing 27 new criminal charges after SC grand jury indictments served

The South Carolina State Grand Jury and the South Carolina Attorney General's Office have levied 27 new criminal charges on former S.C. attorney Richard "Alex" Murdaugh on Friday morning.

The indictments include breach of trust, obtaining property by false pretenses, money laundering, computer crimes and forgery, from charges in several South Carolina counties that span the course of several years and involve numerous alleged victims.

The State Grand Jury issued five indictments, totaling 27 counts, against suspended attorney Murdaugh. These indictments charge Murdaugh with four counts of breach of trust with fraudulent intent; seven counts of obtaining signature or property by false pretenses; seven counts of money laundering; eight counts of computer crimes; and one count of Forgery.

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The indictments:

First indictment (in Bamberg County)

  • Murdaugh is charged with: Obtaining Signature or Property by False Pretenses, Value $10,000 or More (four counts); Money Laundering, Value $100,000 or More (three counts); and Computer Crime, Value $10,000 or More. Obtaining Signature or Property by False Pretenses, Value $10,000 or More is a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $500. Money Laundering, Value $100,000 or More is a felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison and/or a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the amount at issue, whichever is greater. Computer Crime, Value $10,000 or More is a felony punishable by up to 5 years in prison and/or a fine of up to $50,000. The indictments arise out of an alleged scheme to defraud victims of and thereafter launder $792,000.00.

  • This indictment pertains to a series of alleged crimes beginning in March 2021 in which Murdaugh reportedly convinced attorneys from other law firms he was associated with to write Murdaugh checks personally for his share of legal fees, instead of writing the checks to his law firm Peters, Murdaugh, Parker, Eltzroth, and Detrick, P.A. (PMPED). Murdaugh then allegedly did not inform PMPED of this, and bypassed paying these fees into the firm, but instead spent the money on personal expenses including credit card payments, family expenses, and checks written to family, associates, and a law partner.

Second indictment (in Orangeburg County)

  • Murdaugh was charged with Breach of Trust with Fraudulent Intent, Value $10,000 or More; Money Laundering, Value $100,000 or More; Computer Crime, Value $10,000 or More; and Forgery, Value $10,000 or More. Breach of Trust with Fraudulent Intent, Value $10,000 or More is a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison or a fine in the discretion of the court. Forgery, Value $10,000 or More is a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison and/or a fine in the discretion of the court. The indictments arise out of an alleged scheme to defraud victims of and thereafter launder $125,000.00.

  • This indictment relates to a series of alleged crimes that began on Jan. 29 when Thomas L. Moore, a S.C. Highway Patrol officer injured in the line of duty, came to Murdaugh for his help as an attorney.

Third indictment: (in Colleton County)

  • Murdaugh was charged with Breach of Trust with Fraudulent Intent, Value $10,000 or More; and Computer Crime, Value $10,000 or More. The indictments arise out of an alleged scheme to defraud victims of and thereafter launder $70,000.

  • This indictment relates to an alleged crime of Oct. 15, 2016, about stealing funds from legal client Manuel Santis-Cristiani.

Fourth indictment: (in Beaufort County)

  • Murdaugh was charged with Obtaining Signature or Property by False Pretenses, Value $10,000 or More (three counts); Money Laundering, Value $100,000 or More (three counts); Computer Crime, Value $10,000 or More (three counts). The indictments arise out of an alleged scheme to defraud victims of and thereafter launder $3,483,431.95.

  • This indictment relates to a series of alleged crimes beginning on Jan. 9, 2019, involving the estate of Murdaugh's late housekeeper, Gloria Ann Satterfield. Murdaugh is facing both civil and criminal cases related to allegations that he stole insurance settlement money from her children.

Fifth indictment: (in Allendale County)

  • Murdaugh was charged with Breach of Trust with Fraudulent Intent, Value $10,000 or More (two counts); and Computer Crime, Value $10,000 or More (two counts). The indictments arise out of an alleged scheme to defraud victims of and thereafter launder $383,056.14.

  • This indictment relates to an allege crime of Oct. 7, 2015, in which Murdaugh allegedly stole money from an injured client, Deon J. Martin, by transferring funds to a fraudulent account, "Richard A Murdaugh Sole Prop DBA Forge," which Murdaugh allegedly used for several criminal transactions.

  • Altogether, Murdaugh is charged with alleged schemes to defraud victims and then launder $4,853,488.09.

Murdaugh, 53, was suspended from the practice of law by the Supreme Court of South Carolina on Sept. 8, 2021. Murdaugh was previously indicted by a Colleton County Grand Jury for offenses related to a scheme to commit suicide and defraud an insurance company and remains in custody at the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center in Columbia.

Timeline: Murdaugh family killings, cases

This State Grand Jury investigation has been led by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division and the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Attorney's Office also assisted with these investigations. The case will be prosecuted by the S.C. Attorney General's Office.

A spokesperson for Murdaugh issued the following statement on the afternoon the indictments were announced: "We are not surprised by these new charges relating to Alex’s handling of client funds and law firm fees. We have made it clear that Alex regrets that his actions have diverted attention from solving the murders of his wife, Maggie, and son, Paul."

Nine of these charges relate to the Gloria Satterfield case, say attorneys.

"This is Alex Murdaugh's version of Black Friday," said Satterfield attorney Eric Bland. Murdaugh is accused of stealing roughly $4.3 million in insurance settlements from her heirs following the 2018 death of Satterfield, his former housekeeper.

On Friday morning, Bland and Ronnie Richter of Bland Richter, LLP, issued the following statement on behalf of the Satterfield and Harriott families pertaining to the latest indictments:

"The Satterfield family is grateful to law enforcement for their continued efforts in the investigation of the facts and circumstances surrounding the death of Gloria Satterfield and the egregious breaches of trust and theft committed upon her sons. The additional indictments brought today in connection with the crimes committed against Gloria and her sons as well as apparently others are welcome, long overdue and were appropriately brought. While justice can appear at times to move slowly, when the dam breaks, justice flows like a mighty river – and in this case a mighty river is needed to cleanse all that has occurred.

"Of course, Mr. Murdaugh is entitled to his presumption of innocence and to his rights under the criminal process. For now, however, it seems the State Wide Grand Jury was as unimpressed with his opioid defense and other explanations given as we have been. As always, we are steadfastly in the Satterfield corner and committed to seeing these matters to the end. Ultimately, we will entrust a Judge or jury to let us know when the Satterfields have received their full cup of justice – not Alex Murdaugh or his attorneys."

Gloria Satterfield
Gloria Satterfield

Murdaugh is currently at the center of numerous ongoing criminal investigations by the S.C. Attorney General's Office and the S.C. Law Enforcement Division, as well as a half dozen civil law suits.

On the night of June 7, 2021, Murdaugh called 911 to report that his wife, Maggie, and youngest son, Paul, had been shot and killed in an as-yet unsolved case. Another unsolved homicide case, involving the death of Stephen Smith in Hampton County in 2015, was also opened by SLED in the process of investigating the double homicides.

In addition to a civil suit from Satterfield's sons regarding allegations of stolen insurance settlements, Murdaugh is also named in a suit by his former law partners concerning allegations of misappropriated money, as well as a wrongful death suit filed in 2019 involving his boat and his son, Paul.

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Alex Murdaugh indicted by SC grand jury on 27 new criminal charges