Murdaugh Murder and More

[seebell]

Man Who 'Repeatedly' Enabled Alex Murdaugh Gets 7 Years

Russell Laffitte was found guilty of wire and bank fraud in November

www.newser.com

The man who once headed a highly respected bank in the South Carolina Lowcountry will spend seven years in federal prison for helping convicted murderer Alex Murdaugh steal nearly $2 million from clients' legal settlements. Russell Laffitte was sentenced Tuesday after a jury found him guilty of six charges related to wire and bank fraud back in November. The ex-CEO of Palmetto State Bank became the first of the disgraced former attorney's accomplices to face prison time following the June 2021 shooting deaths that stemmed from sprawling investigations into the Murdaugh family finances, reports the AP.
US District Judge Richard Gergel also ordered Laffitte to pay more than $3 million in restitution, local media reported. Murdaugh will cover a piece of that sum. The former banker has said he will appeal the decision. Laffitte, like Murdaugh, came from a prominent family, which had built an upstanding reputation for Palmetto State Bank

I bet he goes to a country club style federal prison. But I hope not.

 

[4Q Basket Case]

The story above mentions Murdaugh’s mounting debts, and attributes them to an opioid addiction. There’s no way he could have spent that much on opioids, even the expensive stuff.

During the trial, Murdaugh claimed $50K / month. To go through that kind of cash, he would have to take $100 pills 15+ times per 24-hour day. Take out just 6 hours for sleep, and it goes to over 20 a day during waking hours.

If he’d been doing that, he would have been in a stupor 24 / 7 / 365. So while I believe he had a drug problem, I don’t believe it cost anywhere near as much as he claims.

So after all the hoopla around the murder trial, there’s still an unanswered question: “Where did all the money go?”

I think he’s covering up the real destination. Which I suspect was either gambling or maybe using offshore gambling as a way to launder money, which could be secreted away for the other son.

 

[Windsortide]

This is all taking place 40-50 miles down the road from me. The Murdaughs are a prominent legal family and have been prosecutors in one jurisdiction for decades. Now we are seeing murder, cover-up, faked suicide, embezzlement from the law firm, etc....needless to say the conversation anywhere turns to this. Here's a couple of links in case you care to know more.

Alex Murdaugh Told His Former Client to Kill Him Before Shooting, Police Say

The former client was arrested after Mr. Murdaugh survived being shot in the head on a rural South Carolina road. Mr. Murdaugh’s wife and son had been fatally shot in June.

www.nytimes.com

Investigators: Murdaugh conspired with Colleton County man in his own shooting

South Carolina Law Enforcement Division agents arrested Curtis Edward Smith in connection to the shooting of Alex Murdaugh.

www.live5news.com

I have been following his case for quite some time. It seems to pop up with something every few months. What is the sentiment of the people in the area about his guilt on all the charges and the family? Thank you in advance.

 

[Padreruf]

Most people know his family has dominated that county -- and the Low Country -- in many, not so good, ways. They are glad to see him get what he had coming.

BTW, I spoke with an African American lawyer at the golf course today and asked him if he knew Judge Clifton. He said that he did, that they were very close, and that he was as fine a man in person as we saw on the screen. He is retired but gets pulled back occasionally for high profile cases.

There is justice in SC...