Cory Fleming, a longtime friend and law school roommate of Alex Murdaugh, has been sentenced to 46 months in prison after admitting to assisting Murdaugh in defrauding millions from a wrongful death lawsuit settlement.
Fleming, 54, faced sentencing on Tuesday in South Carolina, following his guilty plea in May for federal conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
The case centers around the death of Gloria Satterfield, the Murdaugh family's late housekeeper, who allegedly suffered a fatal fall in 2018 after tripping over the Murdaugh's dogs. Fleming was instrumental in helping Murdaugh deceive the Satterfield family, defrauding them of upwards of $4.3 million intended as a settlement.
The scheme involved Murdaugh persuading the Satterfields to hire Fleming as their attorney and file a claim against him. The payout would be sourced from insurance on Murdaugh's property held with Lloyd's of London and Nautilus Insurance Group. The duo then orchestrated the creation of fictitious accounts, redirected the settlement money, and even falsified distribution documents to secure approval by a judge.
It was only after the tragic deaths of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh in 2021 that Tony Satterfield, a relative, uncovered the fraudulent multi-million-dollar payout. Although Fleming admitted to being aware of Murdaugh's intent to embezzle funds from the Satterfields, he claimed to have believed it would only amount to $100,000 in attorney's fees. Prosecutors, however, argue that Fleming may not have been fully aware of the breadth of Murdaugh's intentions.
The fallout from Fleming's involvement with Murdaugh continues. He is mandated to pay $102,000 in restitution, face a $20,000 fine, and will also serve three years of probation upon his release. Furthermore, Fleming is due to face an additional 23 state charges, 18 of which are connected to the Satterfield case, with a trial slated for September.
Alex Murdaugh is currently incarcerated, serving two consecutive life sentences for the murders of his wife and son. He still awaits trial on 100 other federal and state criminal charges.
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