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A federal <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/category/us/us-regions/southeast/south-carolina" target="_blank" rel="noopener">South Carolina</a> judge sentenced Alex Murdaugh to another 480 months, or 40 years, in prison on Monday after the former personal injury lawyer pleaded guilty to 22 federal financial crimes charges in September of last year.<a href="https://www.foxnews.com/category/politics/executive/law" target="_blank" rel="noopener">U.S. District Judge Richard M. Gergel</a> said he was committed to impose 480 months and mandatory restitution totaling more than $9 million. Because the defendant does not have the ability to pay restitution, however, Gergel waived the fee and required Murdaugh to pay $2,000 in special assessment immediately."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," Murdaugh said Monday.Muraugh's attorney, Jim Griffin, told reporters outside the Charleston courthouse on Monday that he's not sure how much of the 40-year sentence his client will end up serving. <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/alex-murdaughs-lawyers-public-statements-stolen-money-fbi-says-murdaugh-lied" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ALEX MURDAUGH'S LAWYERS WANT TO MAKE PUBLIC STATEMENTS ABOUT STOLEN MONEY. FBI SAYS MURDAUGH LIED</a>"Federal inmates are doing approximately 60% of their sentence. So at 40 years, that would equate to 24 years," Griffin said, adding that "things can change over time."Eric Bland, an attorney representing victims of Murdaugh's financial crimes, including Gloria Satterfield's family, said it was "offensive" to equate Murdaugh's victims with the victims of Bernie Madoff, Samuel Bankman-Fried, or Enron victims.<a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/alex-murdaugh-court-clerk-becky-hill-resigns-after-allegations-jury-tampering" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ALEX MURDAUGH COURT CLERK BECKY HILL RESIGNS AFTER ALLEGATIONS OF JURY TAMPERING</a>"These victims were not investing money. They lost their loved ones. … And Alex Murdaugh took advantage of that," Bland said.Murdaugh, 55, is already serving a <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/category/us/crime/homicide" target="_blank" rel="noopener">life sentence for fatally shooting</a> his wife, Maggie, and youngest son, Paul, in June 2021 on their family's hunting estate in Colleton County. Prosecutors argued that their murders were an attempt to distract from Murdaugh's mounting financial crimes, which were beginning to come to light around that time.The disgraced South Carolina lawyer was also sentenced to 27 years for his financial crimes in a state case in November of last year.Federal prosecutors recommended a sentence of 17 to 22 years in prison for the nearly two-dozen crimes, including bank fraud, wire fraud and money laundering, stemming from Murdaugh's schemes to steal millions from his clients and the firm where he served as partner.<a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/south-carolina-judge-denies-alex-murdaugh-request-new-murder-trial" target="_blank" rel="noopener">SOUTH CAROLINA JUDGE DENIES ALEX MURDAUGH'S REQUEST FOR A NEW MURDER TRIAL</a>In court documents filed last week, however, federal prosecutors alleged that Murdaugh failed part of a polygraph test regarding <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/category/us/crime" target="_blank" rel="noopener">$6 million in stolen funds,</a> violating his plea agreement. His defense attorneys, Jim Griffin and Dick Harpootlian, are asking a judge to dismiss the allegations and said they want to publicize Murdaugh's statements from the test.During Monday's hearing, the defense asked for a motion to review the polygraph test. Judge Gergel said the motion was withdrawn."[T]he polygraph examination that forms the basis of the Government’s motion was plagued by many irregularities and violated in material respects the standards for designing appropriate polygraph questions," Murdaugh's attorneys wrote. "For these reasons, the Government should not be permitted to rely on the results of that polygraph examination in the first instance."In the state case, prosecutors said Murdaugh used his power and family influence in the Lowcountry to take on clients' cases, win them "significant funds" and then keep a decent portion of the earnings for himself.<a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/alex-murdaugh-push-new-trial-could-depend-one-juror-attorney-says" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ALEX MURDAUGH'S PUSH FOR NEW TRIAL COULD DEPEND ON ONE JUROR, ATTORNEY SAYS</a>At the conclusion of the state financial crimes case last year, South Carolina prosecutor Creighton Waters said that in the "many instances" of people who trusted Murdaugh and sought his legal help, there were "significant funds that Mr. Murdaugh paid to those individuals, but that was how the scheme usually worked. It was a sleight of hand."Murdaugh was initially charged with about 100 financial crimes totaling about $10 million in both the state and federal cases, but that number was lessened to 22 counts as part of his respective plea deals.<a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/alex-murdaugh-shell-man-financial-betrayal-gloria-satterfield-sister-tells-interviewer" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ALEX MURDAUGH 'A SHELL OF A MAN' FOR FINANCIAL BETRAYAL, GLORIA SATTERFIELD SISTER TELLS INTERVIEWER</a>After being convicted in 2022 for <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/category/us/true-crime" target="_blank" rel="noopener">killing his wife and son</a><a rel="noopener">,</a> Murdaugh appeared back in court in January for a hearing focused on allegations of jury tampering against Colleton County Court Clerk Becky Hill, who announced in March she will not be seeking re-election for the position.<a href="https://www.foxnews.com/download" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP</a>Murdaugh's attorneys argued that the allegations warranted a new murder trial for the former <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/category/us/us-regions/southeast/south-carolina" target="_blank" rel="noopener">South Carolina legal scion.</a> Justice Jean Toal ultimately decided after hearing from jurors who presided over Murdaugh's trial that the allegations against Hill were not enough to grant the defendant a new trial in the murder case.Fox News' Kennedy Hayes contributed to this report.

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published: 2024-04-01 15:33:32.000000000 Z
entry_id: !ruby/object:Feedjira::Parser::GloballyUniqueIdentifier
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 guid: https://www.foxnews.com/us/alex-murdaugh-sentenced-40-years-financial-crimes-polygraph-controversy
title: Alex Murdaugh sentenced to 40 years for financial crimes after polygraph controversy
categories:
- 8730875b-6695-5aa9-8337-fd19435f4365
- fnc
- Fox News
- fox-news/us/crime
- fox-news/us/true-crime
- fox-news/us
- fox-news/us/us-regions/southeast/south-carolina
- fox-news/politics/finance
- fox-news/politics/executive/law
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content: A federal <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/category/us/us-regions/southeast/south-carolina"
 target="_blank" rel="noopener">South Carolina</a> judge sentenced Alex Murdaugh
 to another 480 months, or 40 years, in prison on Monday after the former personal
 injury lawyer pleaded guilty to 22 federal financial crimes charges in September
 of last year.<a href="https://www.foxnews.com/category/politics/executive/law"
 target="_blank" rel="noopener">U.S. District Judge Richard M. Gergel</a> said he
 was committed to impose 480 months and mandatory restitution totaling more than
 $9 million. Because the defendant does not have the ability to pay restitution,
 however, Gergel waived the fee and required Murdaugh to pay $2,000 in special assessment
 immediately."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," Murdaugh said Monday.Muraugh's
 attorney, Jim Griffin, told reporters outside the Charleston courthouse on Monday
 that he's not sure how much of the 40-year sentence his client will end up serving. <a
 href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/alex-murdaughs-lawyers-public-statements-stolen-money-fbi-says-murdaugh-lied"
 target="_blank" rel="noopener">ALEX MURDAUGH'S LAWYERS WANT TO MAKE PUBLIC
 STATEMENTS ABOUT STOLEN MONEY. FBI SAYS MURDAUGH LIED</a>"Federal
 inmates are doing approximately 60% of their sentence. So at 40 years, that would
 equate to 24 years," Griffin said, adding that "things can change over time."Eric
 Bland, an attorney representing victims of Murdaugh's financial crimes, including
 Gloria Satterfield's family, said it was "offensive" to equate Murdaugh's victims
 with the victims of Bernie Madoff, Samuel Bankman-Fried, or Enron victims.<a
 href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/alex-murdaugh-court-clerk-becky-hill-resigns-after-allegations-jury-tampering"
 target="_blank" rel="noopener">ALEX MURDAUGH COURT CLERK BECKY HILL RESIGNS
 AFTER ALLEGATIONS OF JURY TAMPERING</a>"These victims were not
 investing money. They lost their loved ones. … And Alex Murdaugh took advantage
 of that," Bland said.Murdaugh, 55, is already serving a <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/category/us/crime/homicide"
 target="_blank" rel="noopener">life sentence for fatally shooting</a> his wife,
 Maggie, and youngest son, Paul, in June 2021 on their family's hunting estate in
 Colleton County. Prosecutors argued that their murders were an attempt to distract
 from Murdaugh's mounting financial crimes, which were beginning to come to light
 around that time.The disgraced South Carolina lawyer was also sentenced to
 27 years for his financial crimes in a state case in November of last year.Federal
 prosecutors recommended a sentence of 17 to 22 years in prison for the nearly two-dozen
 crimes, including bank fraud, wire fraud and money laundering, stemming from Murdaugh's
 schemes to steal millions from his clients and the firm where he served as partner.<a
 href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/south-carolina-judge-denies-alex-murdaugh-request-new-murder-trial"
 target="_blank" rel="noopener">SOUTH CAROLINA JUDGE DENIES ALEX MURDAUGH'S
 REQUEST FOR A NEW MURDER TRIAL</a>In court documents filed last
 week, however, federal prosecutors alleged that Murdaugh failed part of a polygraph
 test regarding <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/category/us/crime" target="_blank"
 rel="noopener">$6 million in stolen funds,</a> violating his plea agreement. His
 defense attorneys, Jim Griffin and Dick Harpootlian, are asking a judge to dismiss
 the allegations and said they want to publicize Murdaugh's statements from the test.During
 Monday's hearing, the defense asked for a motion to review the polygraph test. Judge
 Gergel said the motion was withdrawn."[T]he polygraph examination that forms
 the basis of the Government’s motion was plagued by many irregularities and violated
 in material respects the standards for designing appropriate polygraph questions,"
 Murdaugh's attorneys wrote. "For these reasons, the Government should not be permitted
 to rely on the results of that polygraph examination in the first instance."In
 the state case, prosecutors said Murdaugh used his power and family influence in
 the Lowcountry to take on clients' cases, win them "significant funds" and then
 keep a decent portion of the earnings for himself.<a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/alex-murdaugh-push-new-trial-could-depend-one-juror-attorney-says"
 target="_blank" rel="noopener">ALEX MURDAUGH'S PUSH FOR NEW TRIAL COULD
 DEPEND ON ONE JUROR, ATTORNEY SAYS</a>At the conclusion of the
 state financial crimes case last year, South Carolina prosecutor Creighton Waters
 said that in the "many instances" of people who trusted Murdaugh and sought his
 legal help, there were "significant funds that Mr. Murdaugh paid to those individuals,
 but that was how the scheme usually worked. It was a sleight of hand."Murdaugh
 was initially charged with about 100 financial crimes totaling about $10 million
 in both the state and federal cases, but that number was lessened to 22 counts as
 part of his respective plea deals.<a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/alex-murdaugh-shell-man-financial-betrayal-gloria-satterfield-sister-tells-interviewer"
 target="_blank" rel="noopener">ALEX MURDAUGH 'A SHELL OF A MAN' FOR FINANCIAL
 BETRAYAL, GLORIA SATTERFIELD SISTER TELLS INTERVIEWER</a>After
 being convicted in 2022 for <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/category/us/true-crime"
 target="_blank" rel="noopener">killing his wife and son</a><a rel="noopener">,</a>
 Murdaugh appeared back in court in January for a hearing focused on allegations
 of jury tampering against Colleton County Court Clerk Becky Hill, who announced
 in March she will not be seeking re-election for the position.<a href="https://www.foxnews.com/download"
 target="_blank" rel="noopener">CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP</a>Murdaugh's
 attorneys argued that the allegations warranted a new murder trial for the former
 <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/category/us/us-regions/southeast/south-carolina"
 target="_blank" rel="noopener">South Carolina legal scion.</a> Justice Jean
 Toal ultimately decided after hearing from jurors who presided over Murdaugh's trial
 that the allegations against Hill were not enough to grant the defendant a new trial
 in the murder case.Fox News' Kennedy Hayes contributed to this report.
summary: Alex Murdaugh was sentenced to 40 years in a federal South Carolina courtroom
 on Monday. Murdaugh previously pleaded guilty to 22 federal financial crimes in
 September 2023.
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url: https://www.foxnews.com/us/alex-murdaugh-sentenced-40-years-financial-crimes-polygraph-controversy
carlessian_info:
 news_filer_version: 2
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