Justice Served: Alex Murdaugh's Tearful Plea Falls Short As Judge Delivers CRUSHING Sentence

This follows his guilty plea to 22 federal financial crimes charges in September of the previous year.

U.S. District Judge Richard M. Gergel stated his commitment to impose a 480-month sentence and mandatory restitution exceeding $9 million. However, due to Murdaugh's inability to pay the restitution, Gergel waived the fee and instead ordered Murdaugh to immediately pay a special assessment of $2,000.

Murdaugh expressed his remorse during the hearing, stating, "I do want you to know and all of the victims to know I am filled with sorrow. I am filled with remorse. I am filled with guilt."

The 55-year-old Murdaugh is already serving a life sentence for the fatal shooting of his wife, Maggie, and their youngest son, Paul, in June 2021 at their family's hunting estate in Colleton County. Prosecutors contended that these murders were a diversionary tactic to draw attention away from Murdaugh's escalating financial crimes, which were starting to be exposed around the same period.

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April 02, 2024

In addition to his life sentence, Murdaugh was given a 27-year sentence for his financial crimes in a state case in November of the previous year.

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Federal prosecutors had recommended a prison term of 17 to 22 years for the nearly two dozen crimes, including bank fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering. These charges stemmed from Murdaugh's schemes to embezzle millions from his clients and the firm where he was a partner.

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However, in court documents filed the previous week, federal prosecutors alleged that Murdaugh failed a portion of a polygraph test concerning $6 million in stolen funds, thereby violating his plea agreement. His defense attorneys, Jim Griffin and Dick Harpootlian, have requested the judge to dismiss these allegations and have expressed their intention to make Murdaugh's statements from the test public.

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During the hearing, the defense requested a motion to review the polygraph test, which Judge Gergel stated was withdrawn.

Murdaugh's attorneys argued that the polygraph examination, which forms the basis of the government's motion, was riddled with irregularities and violated the standards for designing appropriate polygraph questions.

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In the state case, prosecutors alleged that Murdaugh exploited his power and family influence in the Lowcountry to handle clients' cases, secure them "significant funds," and then retain a substantial portion of the earnings for himself.

South Carolina prosecutor Creighton Waters, at the end of the state financial crimes case last year, stated that Murdaugh's scheme typically involved paying "significant funds" to those who trusted him and sought his legal assistance, but it was a "sleight of hand."

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Initially, Murdaugh was charged with approximately 100 financial crimes amounting to about $10 million in both the state and federal cases. However, this number was reduced to 22 counts as part of his respective plea deals.

Following his conviction in 2022 for the murder of his wife and son, Murdaugh returned to court in January for a hearing focused on allegations of jury tampering against Colleton County Court Clerk Becky Hill, who announced in March that she would not seek re-election.

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Murdaugh's attorneys argued that these allegations warranted a new murder trial. However, Justice Jean Toal decided, after hearing from jurors who presided over Murdaugh's trial, that the allegations against Hill were insufficient to grant the defendant a new trial in the murder case.