Alex Murdaugh’s friend sentenced to prison for scheming to steal millions from dead housekeeper’s family
Alex Murdaugh’s confederate and longtime friend Cory Fleming was sentenced to almost 4 years in prison for his involvement within the convicted killer’s scheme to steal millions of {dollars} from his dead housekeeper’s family.
Federal choose Richard Gergel sentenced Fleming on Tuesday to 46 months in prison, which was the decrease finish of the sentencing tips, The Related Press reported.
Fleming, 54, was accused of serving to his legislation college friend steal $4.3m in insurance coverage cash that was supposed for the sons of Murdaugh’s housekeeper Gloria Satterfield.
Ms Satterfield died in a mysterious “journey and fall” accident on the outstanding family’s 1,700-acre Moselle property in South Carolina in 2018 – the identical property the place Murdaugh shot and killed his spouse Maggie and son Paul three years afterward 7 June 2021.
Murdaugh was convicted of their murders in March 2023 and is at the moment serving life in prison.
Following the deaths of Maggie and Paul, an investigation into Ms Satterfield’s passing was reopened because the string of deaths, stolen cash and corruption surrounding Murdaugh got here to gentle.
Satterfield, who labored for the family for greater than 20 years, was discovered on the backside of the steps main into the family’s residence.
She by no means resumed consciousness and died from her accidents three weeks afterward 26 February.
On the time, Murdaugh claimed that she had tripped over the family’s canine and hit her head, and her loss of life was thought to be an unintended fall. Nevertheless, her loss of life certificates cited her method of loss of life as “pure” and no post-mortem was ever carried out.
Fleming was sentenced to almost 4 years in prison on Tuesday
(WCSC)
Murdaugh had promised the sons that he would deal with them and advisable they rent Fleming as their lawyer.
He then instructed insurance coverage firms that Ms Satterfield tripped over their canine and satisfied them to pay greater than $4m to what they thought was Satterfield’s property via Fleming. However as an alternative, Murdaugh had Fleming ship the checks to him. The sons didn’t see a dime till Murdaugh’s funds started to unravel.
Murdaugh and Fleming then stole the settlement cash for themselves and the housekeeper’s sons didn’t get a dime.
A lot of the stolen cash was funneled via a pretend “Forge” checking account which sought to imitate the reliable and completely unrelated enterprise Forge Consulting.
Fleming mentioned he knew the disgraced legal professional was going to steal one thing from the family, however he thought it may be $100,000 — not the complete $4m-plus award. He additionally mentioned he didn’t realise the depth of his outdated friend’s depravity.
Gloria Satterfield died in a ‘journey and fall’ on the Murdaugh residence in 2018
(Supplied)
Fleming, who surrendered his licence to practise legislation in each Georgia and South Carolina, is the second affiliate related to Murdaugh to be sentenced.
Russell Laffitte, who was CEO of Palmetto State Financial institution on the time, was sentenced to seven years in prison earlier this month after pleading responsible to serving to Murdaugh steal cash from settlements he bought for shoppers.
Alex Murdaugh offers testimony throughout his homicide trial on the Colleton County courthouse in South Carolina in March 2023
He acted as Murdaugh’s private banker and as a custodian or conservator for a few of his legislation agency shoppers. Laffitte then conspired to defraud these shoppers, with the 2 males diverting the cash to themselves.
Murdaugh nonetheless faces greater than 100 expenses in state and federal courts for crimes prosecutors say vary from stealing from shoppers and his family’s legislation agency to working a drug and cash laundering ring to tax evasion to unsuccessfully arranging for somebody to kill him so his surviving son might get life insurance coverage cash.
