Alex Murdaugh expected to appear before judge week after federal indictments

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – Convicted murderer Alex Murdaugh is expected to face a judge on Wednesday afternoon as he faces a slew of federal charges connected to alleged financial crimes.

The appearance comes one week after he was indicted on charges related to schemes to defraud clients, friends, and his family’s law firm out of millions of dollars over a period of more than 15 years.

Specifically, the 28-page indictment details an alleged plan to defraud clients out of money from 2005 until 2021 when Murdaugh was arrested on state charges.

It’s just the latest round of charges for Murdaugh who was convicted of murdering his wife and youngest son in March. He is serving a life sentence in a South Carolina prison.

The former attorney is accused of stealing more than four million in a wrongful death settlement from the estate of his family’s former housekeeper, Gloria Satterfield, after her death at the Murdaugh’s home.

The indictment also details that Murdaugh received help from former attorney and close friend Cory Fleming, who pleaded guilty to similar charges last week.

Murdaugh’s attorneys Jim Griffin and Dick Harpootlian released a statement after the new indictments were handed down on May 24 saying, “Alex has been cooperating with the United States Attorneys’ Office and federal agencies in their investigation of a broad range of activities. We anticipate that the charges brought today will be quickly resolved without a trial.”

Wednesday’s hearing begins at 1:30 p.m. inside a Charleston courtroom.