SC - Paul Murdaugh, 22 and mom Margaret, 52, found shot to death, Islandton, 7 June 2021 #12

[MassGuy]

State Grand Jury Indicts Former Bank CEO Russell Laffitte. More Charges for Murdaugh and Fleming


Former CEO of Palmetto State Bank Russell Lucius Laffitte has been indicted on 21 charges of conspiring with disgraced Hampton County attorney Alex Murdaugh to steal nearly $2 million, including hundreds of thousands of dollars in settlement money from the family of a deaf quadriplegic man who died in 2011, according to a news release Wednesday from South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson.

The announcement comes three weeks after Laffitte put his Varnville house on the market and ends months of speculation about whether he would face any consequences for apparently exploiting his role at the bank to assist Murdaugh in alleged schemes for more than a decade.

Also announced Wednesday were four new charges against Murdaugh and five new charges against suspended Beaufort attorney Cory Fleming — who is notably accused of using around $8,000 of the family’s stolen settlement money to fly himself, Murdaugh and another attorney on a private plane to the 2012 College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska.

All 30 charges were handed down by the state grand jury last month in three superseding indictments, according to the state Attorney General’s Office.

https://www.fitsnews.com/2022/05/04...ffitte-more-charges-for-murdaugh-and-fleming/

 

[NervousNellie]

@RealRileyBenson

South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson just announced three new superseding charges against Alex Murdaugh, Russel Laffitte and suspended attorney Cory Fleming.

Is Lafitte the same guy that said he didn't know what a fiduciary was? Or is this another guy at the same bank?

 

[Diddian]

State Grand Jury Indicts Former Bank CEO Russell Laffitte. More Charges for Murdaugh and Fleming


Former CEO of Palmetto State Bank Russell Lucius Laffitte has been indicted on 21 charges of conspiring with disgraced Hampton County attorney Alex Murdaugh to steal nearly $2 million, including hundreds of thousands of dollars in settlement money from the family of a deaf quadriplegic man who died in 2011, according to a news release Wednesday from South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson.

The announcement comes three weeks after Laffitte put his Varnville house on the market and ends months of speculation about whether he would face any consequences for apparently exploiting his role at the bank to assist Murdaugh in alleged schemes for more than a decade.

Also announced Wednesday were four new charges against Murdaugh and five new charges against suspended Beaufort attorney Cory Fleming — who is notably accused of using around $8,000 of the family’s stolen settlement money to fly himself, Murdaugh and another attorney on a private plane to the 2012 College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska.

All 30 charges were handed down by the state grand jury last month in three superseding indictments, according to the state Attorney General’s Office.

https://www.fitsnews.com/2022/05/04...ffitte-more-charges-for-murdaugh-and-fleming/

For anyone who wants to know which indicted person is which in the picture accompanying the FITS article, here is a 2019 announcement of Independent Banker of the Year, Laffitte:
Russell L. Laffitte awarded the 2019 Independent Banker of the Year - Who's On The Move

 

[MerryB]

Is Lafitte the same guy that said he didn't know what a fiduciary was? Or is this another guy at the same bank?

He wasn’t as dumb as he was pretending to be.

 

[MerryB]

Original article:

More charges for Alex Murdaugh, associates | WCBD News 2

 

[NervousNellie]

He wasn’t as dumb as he was pretending to be.

Oh, I knew he was pretending... I just wasn't sure if it was the same guy as I didn't remember that name. but it is indeed the same guy. He also put his house up for sale in April. Shocking. https://www.fitsnews.com/2022/04/13...use-up-for-sale-amid-murdaugh-investigations/

 

[sds71]

@AveryGWilks

Pinckney family attorney Justin Bamberg on today's indictment of Laffitte/Murdaugh/Fleming, all charged with defrauding the Pinckney family of settlement $$: "Screw them guys. Today is a great day for justice in the state of South Carolina. … All chickens come home to roost."

 

[brm1960]

Is Lafitte the same guy that said he didn't know what a fiduciary was? Or is this another guy at the same bank?

No. That was Chad Westendorf. A different banker.

 

[LetsSolvIt]

Murdaugh’s assets sold off, including island and share of hunting club | WCSC TV News 5, Charleston, 4 May 2022

Assets belonging to prominent Lowcountry attorney Alex Murdaugh were recently sold with the money applied to loans and medical bills associated with his opioid addiction treatment.

A court filing states Murdaugh’s brother, John Murdaugh, assisted Alex Murdaugh’s son, Buster, in the sale of more than $700,000 of assets.

Heavy machinery and equipment, totaling $171,500, were sold to buyers, including Alex Murdaugh’s brother, Randy, to whom Alex was indebted. Some proceeds were earmarked for Sunrise Rehab facility in Orlando, where Murdaugh received treatment for opioid addiction.

Murdaugh’s share of Green Swamp Hunting Club was sold for $250,000. Real estate website Lands of America describes the club as a 7,000-acre plot of land in Jasper County.

A stake in “2TI” island was sold for $30,000, and an equity buy-out from his former law firm’s building and property totaled more than $188,000.

The court filing is part of a lawsuit filed by the mother of Mallory Beach, who was killed in a boat crash in 2019. … <snipped>

 

[LetsSolvIt]

A different look at latest indictments but this report also includes input from Bobby Chaco, retired special agent, FBI.

Alex Murdaugh, associates indicted on additional charges | NBC TV Channel 2, Charleston, 4 May 2022

 

[girlhasnoname]

The house of cards is falling.........

Can't wait for an arrest for Maggie and Paul's murders. I think it will be coming soon.

Does AM understand he's never, ever going to leave prison? Or is he still sitting in jail deluding himself that he has a shot of going home? I'd love to know.

MOO

 

[Elley Mae]

The indictments are:

In the first superseding April indictment, venued in Hampton County, the State Grand Jury charges Murdaugh and Laffitte together with one count of Criminal Conspiracy for allegedly conspiring to "surreptitiously" misappropriate to Murdaugh $350,245.08 in funds Laffitte held in trust as conservator for Natarsha Thomas at Palmetto State Bank. The indictment further charges Laffitte individually for Breach of Trust with Fraudulent Intent, Value More than $10,000 (2 counts); and Computer Crime, Value More than $10,000.
In the second superseding April indictment, venued in Hampton County, the State Grand Jury charges Murdaugh and Laffitte together with one count of Criminal Conspiracy for allegedly conspiring to misappropriate to Murdaugh $309,581.46 in funds Laffitte held in trust as conservator for Hakeem L. Pinckney and his Estate at Palmetto State Bank, in order in part to allow Murdaugh to pay back loans Laffitte had issued to him from client funds in an unrelated case in which Laffitte also served as a fiduciary. The indictment further charges Laffitte individually for Computer Crime, Value More than $10,000, and Breach of Trust with Fraudulent Intent, Value More than $10,000.

SC Grand Jury indicts Alex Murdaugh, Cory Fleming, Russell Laffitte

The second superseding April indictment additionally charges Murdaugh and Fleming together with one count of Criminal Conspiracy for allegedly conspiring to misappropriate to Murdaugh $89,133.44 in funds Fleming held in trust as attorney for Pamela Pinckney. The indictment further charges Fleming individually for Breach of Trust with Fraudulent Intent, Value More than $10,000.
Independent of the alleged Murdaugh conspiracy, the indictment additionally charges Fleming individually for Breach of Trust with Fraudulent Intent, Value More than $2,000, but less than $10,000; and Breach of Trust with Fraudulent Intent, Value Less than $2,000; in connection with his alleged use of funds he held in trust as attorney for Pamela Pinckney totaling $8,078.46, for personal expenses to take himself, Murdaugh, and another attorney on a private plane to the 2012 College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska. Finally, the indictment also charges Fleming individually for Breach of Trust with Fraudulent Intent, Value More than $2,000, but less than $10,000, for allegedly misappropriating to Murdaugh $4,560.00 in funds Fleming held in trust as attorney for Pamela Pinckney, under the false and fictitious guise of unspecific case expenses.

Continued

 

[Elley Mae]

SC Grand Jury indicts Alex Murdaugh, Cory Fleming, Russell Laffitte

In the third superseding April indictment,, venued in Allendale County, the State Grand Jury charges Murdaugh and Laffitte together with one count of Criminal Conspiracy for allegedly conspiring to misappropriate to Murdaugh $1,172,945.76 in funds Laffitte controlled at Palmetto State Bank, in order in part to allow Murdaugh to pay back loans Laffitte had issued to him from client funds in an unrelated case in which Laffitte served as a fiduciary. The indictment further charges Laffitte as an aider and abettor to Murdaugh in 12 counts of Breach of Trust with Fraudulent Intent, Value More than $10,000.

 

[Elley Mae]

Just thinking about the ppl that have been indicted, and if AM was running his mouth that MM found out, those indicted could have been a little upset that they would be named.

Jmo

 

[NervousNellie]

No. That was Chad Westendorf. A different banker.

Thank you!! So two of the bankers were involved. I guess that shouldn't shock me as much as it does.

 

[minusfour]

It's funny what gets under your skin. The money used for the private flight turns my stomach. I hope they all get appropriate sentances.

 

[NervousNellie]

It's funny what gets under your skin. The money used for the private flight turns my stomach. I hope they all get appropriate sentances.

The money itself doesn't bother me - the fact that they felt entitled to spend the money that rightfully belonged to people in NEED. People who didn't know any better than to trust their high-falootin' attorney.

 

[watcher9]

I don't know why this very long article just came up on my feed since it was from January unless something else was added. It is however a good recap of how some of the first indictments came about. Even seeing it in black and white, it's hard to follow the money trail on some of the victims' cases. I can't imagine how complicated it must have been for the investigators to able to discover it all.

https://www.fitsnews.com/2022/01/21...charges-from-hakeem-pinckney-case-and-others/

 

[worm]

With the reported physical evidence and this leverage from these money crimes, one would think this to be a slam dunk for great investigators but this dumb southern lawyer must have a bag full of curve balls to pitch at them on these murder charges.
Either seasoned interrogators can’t break this man or maybe he isn’t their murderer?

 

[MassGuy]

Paul Murdaugh's ex-GF detailed in a court doc how Paul “consumed alcohol on an almost daily basis and regularly drank to the point of becoming grossly intoxicated,” which was enabled by his family, prior to a 2019 boat crash that started the Murdaugh saga.


The Feb. 2019 boat crash, which killed 19-year-old Mallory Beach and shed the first harsh spotlight on the Murdaugh legal dynasty, prompted a civil lawsuit against the Murdaugh family and Parker’s convenience stores. The filing from Morgan Doughty is the latest in that lawsuit

Why does Paul Murdaugh's drinking behavior & family's enabling matter?
The boat crash where Paul was accused of driving drunk first brought the Murdaugh family from a venerable legacy to a powerful family under scrutiny.
https://twitter.com/jake4shore/status/1522305103683854336?s=21&t=G4zsdBjUwikobcu9a08sYA
https://twitter.com/jake4shore/status/1522305103683854336?s=21&t=G4zsdBjUwikobcu9a08sYA