What financial crimes did fraudster Alex Murdaugh plead guilty to? Here's a breakdown.

BEAUFORT — When accused former South Carolina lawyer Richard "Alex" Murdaugh walked into the Beaufort County courtroom on Friday morning, Nov. 17, time was running out.

Murdaugh, a man described as a "Lowcountry Outlaw" and "the most notorious former lawyer in America" by Court TV and implicated in more than 100 financial and drug-related charges from the S.C. State Grand Jury, was facing a firm deadline.

Behind the scenes of public knowledge, the S.C. Attorney General's Office had offered Murdaugh and his legal defense team a guilty plea agreement that could result in a reduced prison sentence — but the plea agreement had a deadline of 4 p.m. that Friday.

Murdaugh, jailed on his criminal charges in one detention center after another since the fall of 2021, had "... a lot of time to think about it," he told presiding Judge Clifton Newman and acknowledged that he was, in fact, guilty, and took the deal.

Murdaugh, his attorneys, and prosecutors with the S.C. Attorney General's Office initialed or signed every page of the 13-page plea agreement that day. But is it over? What exactly did the disbarred, disgraced legacy lawyer plead guilty to, and what does it mean?

Murdaugh pleads guilty to state financial, drug crimes

From the fall of 2021 until early 2023, Murdaugh was struck with wave after wave of criminal indictments, each containing multiple charges, alleging that he orchestrated insurance scams and stole from his partners in the family law firm, as well as multiple clients across several S.C. Lowcountry counties.

It was a crime spree that led Murdaugh to shoot and kill two of his own family members, say state prosecutors.

Murdaugh, while denying the murder since his March 2 conviction, has acknowledged his guilt in his other crimes in many ways: in recorded interviews with state police, in court filings such as confessions of judgment, by pleading guilty in federal court, and even in tearful admissions on the witness stand during his double murder trial.

Here are the charges that Murdaugh pleaded guilty to last Friday:

• Seven counts of money laundering, each carrying a maximum sentence of 20 years and a fine of up to $250,000, or twice the amount laundered, whichever is greater;

• Four counts of obtaining a signature by false pretenses, $10,000 or more, each carrying a maximum sentence of 10 years and a fine of $500;

• Six counts of breach of trust with fraudulent intent, $10,000 or more, each carrying a maximum sentence of 10 years;

• One count of breach of trust with fraudulent intent, more than $2,000 but less than $10,000, carrying a maximum sentence of five years;

• One count of forgery, $10,000 or more, carrying a maximum sentence of 10 years;

• One count of computer crimes, $10,000 or more, carrying a maximum sentence of 10 years;

• One count of criminal conspiracy, carrying a maximum sentence of five years;

• One count of willful attempt to evade or defeat a tax, $10,000 or more, carrying a maximum of five years and/or a fine of $10,000.

Murdaugh pleaded guilty to crimes in multiple S.C. Lowcountry counties, including:

• Crimes connected to an insurance/wrongful death settlement scheme involving Murdaugh's late household employee, Gloria Satterfield, and her estate;

• Crimes connected to the estate and family of Hakeem Pinckney, a young deaf man who became a quadriplegic after a tragic car accident and later died;

• Crimes connected to the theft from several of Murdaugh's former legal clients, including Thomas Moore, a S.C. Highway Patrol officer injured and disabled in the line of duty;

• Crimes connected to the theft from Murdaugh's former law partners and former family law firm.

• Conspiracy crimes related to Murdaugh's multi-county narcotics distribution charges.

Did Alex Murdaugh get a good deal in plea agreement?

Murdaugh, who was facing roughly 100 financial fraud-related charges from the state grand jury, pleaded guilty to only 22 of those crimes. The others will be dismissed.

Murdaugh was accused of stealing between $8.5 million to $10 million from various victims, organizations, and the state and federal government.

The crimes he pleaded guilty to last week include fines of only $1,750,000 for money laundering, or twice the amount laundered if that amount is greater; and at least $2,500 for other charges, a number which could be higher at the court's discretion.

How much time will Alex Murdaugh spend in prison?

For all of his crimes, Murdaugh was facing almost 1,000 theoretical years of consecutive prison time.

For just the crimes he pleaded to last week, Murdaugh was facing a rough total of 239 theoretical years of consecutive prison time.

However, according to the plea agreement, Murdaugh would be subjected to the maximum prison term for each charge he pleaded to; but the S.C. Attorney General's Office recommends that Murdaugh be sentenced to a net total of 27 years. Because of the type of crimes committed, Murdaugh must serve 85 percent of that sentence, or at least 22.95 years, per state law.

According to the plea agreement, Murdaugh will be allowed to serve this sentence concurrently with the two life sentences he received on March 3 after being convicted of murdering his wife and younger son.

Were there any special conditions in Murdaugh's plea?

The guilty plea agreement offers a "global and final resolution of criminal liability" as far as the SC Attorney General's Office is considered, and resolves all of Murdaugh's S.C. State Grand Jury indictments, including his drug-related charges.

Charges not specifically pleaded guilty to will be dismissed.

However, this has no impact on Murdaugh's pending county grand jury indictments related to a Labor Day 2021 weekend roadside shooting insurance scheme.

According to the plea agreement, Murdaugh must:

• Waive his rights to an appeal for his financial matters, as well as grand jury rights, trial rights, and post-conviction relief rights;

• Acknowledge and reveal facts and evidence about his financial crimes to the state;

• Be responsible for restitution to victims as determined by the court at a later date;

• Not be allowed special sentencing conditions after payment of restitution.

Is that the end for Alex Murdaugh? What's next?

While the state and Murdaugh's attorneys have all signed off on the plea agreement, the process isn't over yet. The agreement must be approved, and sentencing rendered, by Judge Clifton Newman, the same circuit court judge who presided over Murdaugh's murder trial.

"If Judge Newman doesn’t agree with the 27 years, the whole deal is off," said Robert Kittle, spokesperson for the SC AG's Office. "The negotiated agreement is for those charges with that sentence, so he can sign off on the whole thing or reject it."

Which means Newman can't accept the guilty plea and administer a different sentence.

Newman has, however, indicated that he would be inclined to accept the plea agreement and render the negotiated sentencing once Murdaugh's victims have a chance to speak as required by South Carolina's Victims' Bill of Rights.

That sentencing hearing is scheduled for 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 28, at the Beaufort County courthouse.

What is going on with the Alex Murdaugh murder case?

Even as he faced more than 100 financial fraud and drug-related charges, Murdaugh continues to wage legal battles over his March 2 double murder conviction in the June 2021 killings of his wife and younger child.

After filing an appeal, Murdaugh has filed motion after motion in the murder case, including a motion to have Newman prohibited from overseeing further court proceedings in his murder case.

Judge Newman has agreed to step aside in hearing allegations involving jury tampering in the murder case, the South Carolina Supreme Court said Thursday in ruling on the Murdaugh motions.

After making shocking jury tampering allegations against a court official, Colleton County Clerk of Court Rebecca Hill, Murdaugh's team made the motion for the recusal of the veteran circuit court judge.

According to the Supreme Court ruling, Newman voluntarily recused himself from the Murdaugh murders case.

No hearing has been scheduled in connection with the jury allegations.

This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: What exactly did Alex Murdaugh plead guilty to? Here's a breakdown.