OAN’s James Meyers
11:01 AM -Monday, April 1, 2024
Convicted murderer Alex Murdaugh has been sentenced by a federal judge to 40 years in prison on Monday for stealing millions of dollars from his clients.
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The sentencing handed down to Murdaugh by Judge Richard Gergel will run concurrently with the state sentences Murdaugh is already serving.
The sentencing comes after federal prosecutors stated in a filing last week that Murdaugh failed a polygraph test that he agreed to participate in as part of a plea deal. Prosecutors also stated that they have identified 11 new financial victims and another $1.3 million in stolen money.
Meanwhile, the judge is allowing Murdaugh to serve his prison sentences for state and federal crimes at the same time. He is currently serving a 27-year sentence previously imposed by South Carolina for related crimes. The judge also ordered Murdaugh to pay over $8 million in restitution to his financial victims.
“The scope and pervasiveness of Murdaugh’s deceit is staggering,” prosecutors said in their filing last week. “He ranks as one of the most prolific fraudsters this state has ever seen. When the house of cards began to fall, Murdaugh murdered his wife and son.”
Murdaugh pleaded guilty last September to 22 federal financial crime charges, which came with the agreement that he would subject himself to a polygraph.
Each of the various charges carried a maximum of at least 20 years in prison, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ).
Currently, the convicted murderer is serving a life sentence without parole for the murders of his wife, Margaret, and their younger son, Paul, 22, in 2021. Murdaugh is attempting to appeal the conviction.
However, the former personal injury lawyer’s defense team has denied the allegations that he breached his plea agreement, and said in a filing that they should be able to respond in documents that can be made public.
“To allow the Government to publicly accuse Murdaugh of breaching his plea agreement while also allowing the Government to hide all purported evidence supporting that accusation from the public would violate the public’s right to the truth,” the filing said.
Federal prosecutors have always argued that the details must not be released because of the ongoing grand jury investigation.
Furthermore, the convicted murderer pleaded guilty to four counts of money laundering last year, five counts of wire fraud, one count of bank fraud and other charges.
The latest sentencing comes just a year after Murdaugh’s double murder trial, in which he took the stand to deny that he killed his wife and son, however he did admit to financial misconduct.
South Carolina prosecutors accused Murdaugh of murdering them in order to receive pity and to distract from financial crimes that would ruin his career in South Carolina.
Despite what happens in Murdaugh’s murder appeal, the convicted murderer will remain in prison.
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