CHARLESTON, S.C.—A longtime good buddy of convicted murderer Alex Murdaugh admitted Thursday he helped his outdated college roommate steal better than $4 million meant for a wrongful lack of life settlement after Murdaugh’s housekeeper died in a fall.
Cory Fleming, 54, pleaded accountable to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in federal courtroom. He faces as a lot as 5 years in jail and a $250,000 high-quality when he’s sentenced at a later date.
After Murdaugh’s maid, Gloria Satterfield, died following a fall on the family’s dwelling, Murdaugh happy Satterfield’s sons to hire Fleming as their lawyer, saying they may help get the family money for a wrongful lack of life settlement.
Fleming obtained $4.3 million from Murdaugh’s insurers, in accordance with an indictment.
Nevertheless Fleming and Murdaugh under no circumstances despatched any money to Satterfield’s sons, in its place splitting it amongst themselves, prosecutors acknowledged.
Satterfield’s sons later employed completely totally different attorneys who’ve managed to get hundreds and hundreds for them.
Fleming’s plea acquired right here a day after federal prosecutors charged Murdaugh with 22 financial crimes for stealing money from the Satterfield family along with totally different purchasers and committing monetary establishment and wire fraud.
Murdaugh’s authorized professionals acknowledged in an announcement he’s cooperating with federal investigators and advocate the charges shall be resolved with a accountable plea.’
Murdaugh, 54, is in the meanwhile serving a life sentence with out parole in defending custody at an undisclosed state jail after being convicted in March of the capturing deaths of his 22-year-old son, Paul, and 52-year-old partner, Maggie, at their dwelling. Prosecutors acknowledged he decided to kill them on account of his hundreds and hundreds of {{dollars}} of theft was about to be discovered, and he hoped their deaths would buy him sympathy and time to find out a cover-up.
The as quickly as distinguished South Carolina authorized skilled might be awaiting trial on spherical 100 totally different state charges along with insurance coverage protection fraud, tax evasion and theft.
Fleming is the second explicit particular person affiliated with Murdaugh’s schemes to be convicted in federal courtroom. In November, Murdaugh’s banker good buddy, Russell Laffitte, was convicted of six wire and monetary establishment fraud charges.
Prosecutors acknowledged Murdaugh and Laffitte labored collectively to take settlement money out of purchasers’ accounts.
Laffitte is fascinating and has not been sentenced.
Originally posted 2023-05-27 08:53:21.