A federal judge in South Carolina has ruled that Alex Murdaugh, a disgraced legal figure, along with his partner, must reimburse an insurance company with millions of dollars. This decision comes after they were found guilty of scheming to embezzle around $4 million in insurance money meant for the family of Murdaugh’s deceased housekeeper.
The judge’s verdict demands Murdaugh to compensate $14.8 million, while Murdaugh’s close associate and fellow lawyer, Cory Fleming, has been ordered to repay almost $3.8 million in a civil lawsuit brought against him.
Fleming stood trial for two days in Charleston before U.S. District Judge Richard Mark Gergel handed down the settlement order.
According to the settlement order issued on January 9, the judge highlighted that Fleming’s dishonest actions significantly facilitated Murdaugh in the misappropriation of over $4 million in settlement funds.
The $4 million Murdaugh stole from the Satterfield family is part of the 100 financial crimes charges filed against Murdaugh involving millions in stolen funds from his former law firm clients.
A photo of the Murdaugh family taken days before Paul and Maggie Murdaugh were shot to death. From left, Buster, Paul, Maggie and Alex Murdaugh. (Defense exhibit)
Murdaugh had previously been ordered to serve 40 years for his financial crimes in federal court and 27 years for his financial crimes in state court.
Those sentences came on top of his life sentence for killing his wife, Maggie, and youngest son, Paul, in 2021.
A Colleton County jury found the disgraced lawyer guilty of shooting Maggie and Paul near dog kennels on the family’s hunting estate in June of that year. Prosecutors say he was trying to create a distraction from his mounting financial crimes, which were beginning to come to light around that time.
