Former lawyer Alex Murdaugh received an additional 40 years to the time he already must spend in federal prison Monday. On this occasion, he was charged with defrauding both his clients and his law firm, crimes to which he pleaded guilty last year. The sentence can be served concurrently with the other imposed in South Carolina of 27 years in prison for related crimes.
These sentences come in addition to the two life sentences he received for the murder of both his wife and his son in 2021. He was also convicted for multiple financial crimes and sentenced to an additional 27 years in prison. Now, he is sentenced to another 40 years after 11 new financial victims were identified from whom he stole another $1.3 billion. In addition, he must pay more than $8 million in financial damages to his victims.
U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel said these victims are among the "most needy and vulnerable people" and which included, among others, a man who had become quadriplegic after suffering an accident, per the BBC. "They placed all their problems and all their hopes on Mr. Murdaugh and it is from those people he abused and stole. It is a difficult set of actions to understand," said Judge Gergel.
The prosecutors in the case agreed with this assessment during their appearance last week. They claimed that Alex Murdaugh is one of "the most prolific scammers" in the state's history and that he must pay heavily for his crimes:
The scope and pervasiveness of Murdaugh's deception is staggering. He is one of the most prolific scammers this state has ever seen. When the house of cards began to fall, Murdaugh murdered his wife and son.
