A federal judge sentenced Alex Murdaugh, who is already serving two life sentences for the murder of his wife and child, to 40 more years in prison for financial crimes. Murdaugh, 55, pleaded guilty to several financial crimes, including nearly two dozen charges of conspiracy, fraud, and money laundering.
The federal sentence significantly exceeded prosecutors’ recommendation and ordered Murdaugh to pay over $8.7 million in restitution to his victims. Also, it will run concurrently with the 27 years he’s already serving after a guilty plea in state court.
Both cases stemmed from schemes prosecutors say saw Alex Murdaugh defraud his clients and law firm of millions of dollars. The sentences are in addition to the two consecutive sentences of life without parole he received a year ago. He allegedly murdered his wife, Maggie, and 22-year-old son, Paul.
Prosecutors described the killings as a desperate attempt to distract from and delay investigations into his unraveling financial crimes. While Alex Murdaugh insists he is innocent of the murders, he admitted to fraud and did so again on Monday, April 1, 2024.
ALSO READ: Delta Pilot Bags 10 Months Jail Time for Drinking Before Scotland to NY Flight
He said he believed “some of the things I did” were due to an opioid addiction. Still, he said, “I knew better.” “I’ve never seen this type of conduct, a massive fraud,” US District Judge Richard Gergel said during the sentencing hearing. For more than a decade, Alex Murdaugh has conducted multiple fraud schemes.
These include redirecting settlement money intended for the personal injury firm’s clients into a personal bank account. Judge Gergel’s sentence exceeded the 30-year prison term recommended by federal prosecutors by ten years. In sentencing Alex Murdaugh, the judge repeatedly cited the “staggering human toll” of his crimes.
Gergel also cited his repeated targeting of vulnerable people, sick or grieving, who had come to him for help. “They placed all of their problems and their hope in him,” Gergel said, referring to the now-disbarred attorney. “And it was from those people he abused and stole.”
POLL—Should the Government Increase Taxes on the Wealthy To Reduce Economic Inequality?
Although Alex Murdaugh blamed his addiction for his actions during the sentencing hearing, Gergel dismissed his statements. The judge said, “No truly impaired person could pull off the complexity of some of these transactions.”
Gergel also said Murdaugh’s actions disgraced the entire legal community. Hence, he noted that a “serious sentence” would serve as a deterrent to other lawyers. “This sentence must speak the truth,” Gergel said, “and the truth here is that this is a reprehensible crime.”
Last week, prosecutors said Alex Murdaugh failed a polygraph test, violating his plea agreement that required honesty. Consequently, prosecutors asked to be freed from the terms of the deal. However, Murdaugh’s attorneys rejected the claim, accusing the government’s polygraph examiner of “odd conduct.”
ALSO READ: Former Trump Adviser Peter Navarro Surrenders at Federal Prison
However, Gergel dismissed the defense’s claims, handing down a concurrent sentence. Afterward, US Attorney Adair Boroughs indicated her office was “very happy with the outcome.” “The sentence today was about obtaining justice for the financial victims of Alex Murdaugh,” Boroughs told reporters outside court.
“These victims are not just names listed in a court filing,” she said. “They are real people who trusted an attorney at the most difficult times of their lives.” She added, “And he betrayed them in those vulnerable moments.”
You Might Also Like:
Kansas City Chiefs’ Rashee Rice Reportedly Wanted by Authorities After Speeding Car Crash
Woman Recounts How Gas Station Heroin Nearly Killed Her
New Iowa Bill Leaves Migrants at Crossroads Over Possible Arrest and Deportation
Baltimore Bridge Collapse Crew Begin Removing First Portions of Bridge
“Falsity Alone Is Not Enough!” Donald Trump’s Lawyer Argues His Election Lies Are Protected Speech