Convicted murderer Alex Murdaugh pleads guilty to 22 federal financial fraud charges
Disgraced
The guilty pleas entered in federal court in
Prosecutors said the financial fraud charges covered a 10-year period, but they actually found evidence that his financial crimes dated back to 2005.
"I am pleading guilty of my own free will because I am guilty ... and for other reasons," Murdaugh told U.S. District Judge
"It is my hope that by taking responsibility, that the people I have hurt will begin to heal."
In March, a
He already was awaiting trial for nearly 100 counts of financial fraud-related charges at the time.
Murdaugh's lawyer
"This is, we believe, the first step for him in putting this behind him," Harpootlian said. "He did not argue with a single fact. He did not argue with me to push back on any allegation."
In May, federal authorities charged Murdaugh with bank fraud, wire fraud and money laundering for allegedly redirecting settlement funds from his clients to personally enrich himself, according to the
He was accused of sending funds to his own accounts without his clients' approval, and also collected attorney's fees on fake or nonexistent annuities.
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