CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — For possibly the final time, Alex Murdaugh, in a jail jumpsuit as a substitute of the swimsuit he used to put on, shuffled right into a courtroom Monday in South Carolina and was sentenced to 40 years in federal jail.Murdaugh was punished — this time in federal court docket — for stealing from shoppers and his legislation agency. The 55-year-old disbarred lawyer is already serving a life sentence with out parole in a state jail for killing his spouse and son.Federal brokers had beneficial a sentence from 17 1/2 to only below 22 years.Murdaugh additionally pleaded responsible in state court docket to monetary crimes and was ordered to spend 27 years in jail. The federal sentence will run concurrently his state jail time period and he seemingly must serve all 40 years if his homicide convictions are overturned on enchantment.
U.S. District Choose Richard Gergel mentioned he sentenced Murdaugh to a harsher punishment than advised as a result of he stole from “the most needy, vulnerable people,” together with a shopper who grew to become a quadriplegic after a crash, a state trooper who was injured on the job, and a belief fund supposed for kids whose mother and father have been killed in a wreck.
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Murdaugh stole from individuals who “placed all their problems and all their hopes” on him, Gergel mentioned.The 22 federal counts are the ultimate prices excellent for Murdaugh, who three years in the past was a longtime lawyer negotiating multimillion-dollar settlements in tiny Hampton County, the place members of his household served as elected prosecutors and ran the realm’s premier legislation agency for practically a century.
Murdaugh may even should pay practically $9 million in restitution.“There is a staggering human toll to every cent,” mentioned lawyer Justin Bamberg, who represented a number of of Murdaugh’s victims.Prosecutors requested the decide to provide Murdaugh a harsher sentence as a result of FBI brokers assume he’s not telling the entire fact about what occurred to $6 million he stole and whether or not a so-far unnamed lawyer helped his felony schemes.
Alex Murdaugh, convicted of killing his spouse, Maggie, and youthful son, Paul, in June 2021, stands along with his protection group throughout a listening to on a movement for a retrial, Jan. 16, 2024, on the Richland County Judicial Heart in Columbia, S.C. (Tracy Glantz/The State by way of AP, Pool)
Murdaugh’s largest scheme concerned the sons of his longtime housekeeper Gloria Satterfield. She died in a fall on the household dwelling. Murdaugh promised to maintain Satterfield’s household, then labored with a lawyer pal who pleaded responsible on a scheme to steal $4 million in a wrongful dying settlement with the household’s insurer.In all, Murdaugh took settlement cash from or inflated charges or bills for greater than two dozen shoppers. Prosecutors mentioned the FBI discovered 11 extra victims than the state investigation discovered and that Murdaugh stole practically $1.3 million from them.Murdaugh once more apologized to his victims at his sentencing Monday, saying he felt “guilt, sorrow, shame, embarrassment, humiliation.” He provided to fulfill with victims to allow them to say what they wish to say and “more closely inspect my sincerity.”“There’s not enough time and I don’t possess a sufficient vocabulary to adequately portray to you in words the magnitude of how I feel about the things I did,” Murdaugh mentioned.Murdaugh blamed practically twenty years of habit to opioids and mentioned he was proud he has been clear for 937 days.
Gergel scoffed at this rationalization. “No truly impaired person could pull off these complex transactions,” the decide mentioned of the maze of faux accounts, juggled checks and cash actions that hid the thefts for practically 20 years.Prosecutor Emily Limehouse mentioned Murdaugh’s claims don’t make sense as a result of he advised the FBI he was taking the identical quantity of capsules as he did when his habit began in 2008, however the sum of money he stole elevated quickly within the years earlier than his arrest.“He was adamant all of the money was spent on drugs. It doesn’t add up,” Limehouse mentioned.Murdaugh was convicted a 12 months in the past of killing his youthful son Paul with a shotgun and his spouse, Maggie, with a rifle. Whereas he has pleaded responsible to dozens of economic crimes, he adamantly denies he killed them and testified in his personal protection. There will probably be years of appeals within the homicide instances.The case has captivated true crime followers, spawning dozens of podcast episodes and 1000’s of social media posts.
Prosecutors wish to preserve most of the FBI statements secret, saying they’re nonetheless investigating the lacking cash and who might need helped Murdaugh to steal it. They are saying making the knowledge public would jeopardize an ongoing grand jury investigation.The protection requested for a lighter sentence, evaluating Murdaugh’s doable sentence to 25 years for crypto entrepreneur Sam Bankman-Fried or Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes’ 11 years for duping buyers, saying they stole billions whereas Murdaugh’s thefts have been in tens of millions.However lawyer Eric Bland, who represented the household of Murdaugh’s housekeeper, mentioned there was an enormous distinction.“Those victims were investing money,” he mentioned standing with two of his shoppers. “They lost loved ones.”
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