Alex Murdaugh indicted on multiple federal fraud charges in connection to housekeeper’s death
Rachel Schilke
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Convicted murderer Alex Murdaugh, a former South Carolina lawyer, now faces multiple federal financial fraud charges in connection to the death of his housekeeper.
A federal grand jury indicted Murdaugh, 54, of 22 financial fraud charges, including allegations that he cheated the estate of his late housekeeper Gloria Satterfield and insurance companies out of millions of dollars.
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The U.S. attorney’s office in South Carolina said Murdaugh conspired with a personal injury attorney to siphon funds from Satterfield’s death. Satterfield died in 2018 in what Murdaugh said for years was a “trip and fall accident” at the family home where he killed his son, Paul, and wife, Maggie, in 2021.
The convicted former lawyer told the Satterfields and insurance companies that the housekeeper tripped over one of the family dogs and fell down the stairs.
Murdaugh later admitted in a filing on May 3 that he fabricated the story so he could force his insurers to make a payment. The filing was in response to a lawsuit from Nautilus Insurance Company, which sued Murdaugh in May 2022 for pocketing $4.3 million in total that was intended for Satterfield’s family.
The grand jury indicted Murdaugh for directing the attorney he conspired with to draft checks totaling almost $3.5 million to a bank account called “Forge” that he used for personal enjoyment, rather than delivering the settlement money to the Satterfields. “Forge” was a bank account Murdaugh used between 2015 and 2022 to deposit stolen payments, and he was the only owner and authorized signer on the account.
“Trust in our legal system begins with trust in its lawyers,” U.S. attorney Adair Boroughs said in a statement. “South Carolinians turn to lawyers when they are at their most vulnerable, and in our state, those who abuse the public’s trust and enrich themselves by fraud, theft, and self-dealing will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
Jim Griffin and Richard “Dick” Harpootlian, lawyers for Murdaugh, said to NBC News on Wednesday that Murdaugh is cooperating with the federal investigation and “anticipate that the charges brought today will be quickly resolved without a trial.”
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Murdaugh faces one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud, one count of bank fraud, five counts of wire fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and 14 counts of money laundering.
In total, Murdaugh could face a maximum fine of $4.75 million and 20 to 30 years in prison per charge, which would likely run concurrently if he is convicted.