COLUMBIA, S.C. — A longtime good friend of South Carolina legal professional Alex Murdaugh now faces 18 prices involving the theft of greater than $3 million in insurance coverage cash from the household of Murdaugh’s useless housekeeper, in keeping with newly unsealed court docket paperwork.
An indictment made public Wednesday accuses Cory Fleming of working with Murdaugh to defraud the sons of Gloria Satterfield, who died following a fall on the Murdaugh residence in 2018, by suing Murdaugh on behalf of the sons however diverting the ensuing insurance coverage payouts to Murdaugh and himself.
Fleming additionally wrote himself checks from Satterfield’s property to pay for his personal mortgage, bank card debt, tax funds, video video games and different purchases, prosecutors mentioned.
The sons mentioned in a lawsuit that they by no means acquired any of the cash. They mentioned Murdaugh satisfied them at their mom’s funeral to make use of Fleming as their legal professional and sue him for wrongful dying, with out disclosing that Fleming had been his faculty roommate and godfather to no less than one among Murdaugh’s sons.
Based on the most recent indictment, Fleming, 53, selected not inform Satterfield’s sons about two settlements he secured from insurers. He as a substitute knowingly moved cash from each agreements to a fraudulent checking account Murdaugh had named equally to that of an organization that handles settlements, authorities mentioned.
Fleming has beforehand mentioned he was serving to the sons’ new legal professionals and maintained he “was not a prepared participant in Mr. Murdaugh’s scheme however was used,” in keeping with a joint assertion between Fleming and the sons’ attorneys in October.
Attorneys listed for Fleming didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark Wednesday. Fleming plans to show himself in earlier than a digital bond listening to scheduled for Thursday, mentioned Robert Kittle, a spokesman for the state legal professional normal’s workplace.
Eric Bland and Ronnie Richter, attorneys for the Satterfield sons, mentioned Wednesday that the grand jury clearly didn’t consider Fleming’s protection that he was yet one more of Murdaugh’s victims: “Justice could transfer gradual however when it strikes it comes crashing down like a tidal wave,” they mentioned in an announcement.
Grand jurors additionally issued 4 new prices for Murdaugh. Murdaugh at the moment faces 75 state prices, amongst them belief, forgery, cash laundering, laptop crime and now legal conspiracy with Fleming, altogether accusing him of stealing almost $8.5 million supposed for victims of wrongful dying and insurance coverage settlements. He is additionally accused of making an attempt to rearrange his personal dying so his surviving son might gather a $10 million life insurance coverage coverage.
Murdaugh, 53, has been jailed since October. A choose set his bail at $7 million and refused to scale back it, at the same time as Murdaugh’s lawyer argued his financial institution accounts had been seized in civil lawsuits and he might barely afford to purchase underwear on the Richland County jail. He has pinned his issues on a years-long drug habit.
His authorized troubles had been revealed after his spouse Maggie, 52, and son Paul, 22, had been killed in a taking pictures on the household’s residence in June. Murdaugh’s legal professionals insisted he had nothing to do with it, calling on investigators to work as exhausting to seek out their killers as they’re making an attempt to unravel Murdaugh’s funds.
Murdaugh’s great-grandfather, grandfather and father had been all elected prosecutors in Hampton County, the place his household legislation agency bore the Murdaugh moniker till not too long ago. The South Carolina Supreme Courtroom has suspended Murdaugh and Fleming from practising legislation within the state.