A federal court has dismissed disbarred attorney Alex Murdaugh’s appeal of his 40-year prison sentence for stealing millions in personal injury and wrongful death settlements meant for clients.
The U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals said Tuesday Murdaugh “knowingly and voluntarily” gave up his right to challenge his punishment when he accepted a plea deal, except in “extraordinary circumstances.” The court said his case did not present such circumstances.
Murdaugh’s attorneys had argued the lengthy federal sentence violated his right against cruel and unusual punishment because it was more than what was recommended under sentencing guidelines.
But U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel explained as he handed down the sentence in April, the punishment was harsher because Murdaugh stole from needy and vulnerable people.
The victims include the sons of Murdaugh’s late housekeeper, Gloria Satterfield, who died after a reported fall at his home. During the funeral, Murdaugh promised to take care of the boys by suing his own insurance company, which he did. Only he swiped the entire settlement, roughly $4 million. The sons were left penniless and without a mother.
In all, prosecutors believe the once high-profile attorney from a powerful legal family swindled more than $12 million over a decade from former clients and colleagues, even his own brother.
The 56-year-old faced many of the victims of his financial crimes when he pleaded guilty last year in state court. The plea deal meant the victims, spanning several counties, were spared lengthy trials. In exchange, Murdaugh was sentenced to 27 years in prison which runs concurrently with his federal sentence.
The details of Murdaugh’s vast financial schemes were laid out as part of his criminal trial in early 2023. Prosecutors pointed to them as motive, painting Murdaugh as a desperate man with a secret life that was about to be exposed, when he murdered his wife and son on June 7, 2021.
Murdaugh was found guilty and given two back-to-back life sentences in state prison. He’s appealing the convictions, claiming the trial judge errored in allowing the financial crimes in as evidence. He also claims the clerk of court, who wrote a book about the trial, prejudiced the jury.
