COLUMBIA, S.C. — Embattled former attorney Alex Murdaugh, who already faces numerous charges ranging from financial crime to murder, has been indicted for even more by a South Carolina grand jury.
State Attorney General Alan Wilson announced on Friday that a state grand jury had issued new indictments against Murdaugh as well as two possibly unrelated defendants, Spencer Anwan Roberts and Jerry K. Rivers.
The latest counts against Murdaugh include four counts of obtaining a signature or property by false pretenses - value $10,000 or more, two counts of money laundering - value $20,000 to $100,000, one count of money laundering - value $100,000 or more, and two counts of computer crime - value more than $10,000.
Among the new accusations against Murdaugh is that he stole nearly $300,000 from his brother and the law firm where he previously worked. According to the Associated Press, PMPED Law Firm gave him a check meant for his brother. The check was meant to repay funds given to the company to help pay expenses in the early part of the year.
Instead of giving the check to his brother, investigators believe Murdaugh said the check was supposed to be written out to him and had another one issued.
Roberts was indicted for one count of obtaining a signature or property by false pretenses - the value of $10,000 or more, one count of money laundering - the value of $20,000 to $100,000, one count of computer crime - the value of more than $10,000, and one count of insurance fraud.
His indictment, according to court documents, stems from the alleged use of Paycheck Protection Program funds that he obtained fraudulently. He's also accused of making financial transactions with items he allegedly knew were the proceeds of unlawful activity in order to promote more unlawful activity.
Meanwhile, Rivers was indicted on a count of obstruction of justice. Rivers was accused of illegally taking a cell phone that had been seized as evidence and belonged to another person who had been arrested.
The latest indictments could mean massive financial penalties and years in prison for Murdaugh and the other two defendants.
In particular, the attorney general said Murdaugh faces 90 charges across 18 indictments - a majority of them related to allegations that the now-former attorney defrauded nearly $9 million from several victims.