Infamous ex-attorney Alex Murdaugh plans to fight the 40-year federal prison sentence he received after pleading guilty to a raft of financial crimes, according to a recent court filing.
Murdaugh’s attorneys filed a one-sentence notice April 15 announcing their intention to appeal his sentence. In imposing a 40-year prison term earlier in the month, U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel took the unusual step of handing down a punishment longer than federal guidelines recommended.
The judge concluded that the recommended sentence — between 17½ years and nearly 22 years — was insufficient because Murdaugh used a position of trust to prey on “extremely vulnerable victims” such as clients who came to him after losing parents and loved ones. Gergel likened his decision to that of the judge who sentenced notorious fraudster Bernie Madoff.
Murdaugh stole some $10.8 million from his law firm, clients and others who trusted him, the judge found. Murdaugh, a once-prominent lawyer in Hampton, was indicted on 22 federal charges, including conspiracy, wire fraud, bank fraud and money laundering.
It was not immediately clear what grounds Murdaugh had for an appeal. In 2023, he signed a plea agreement with federal prosecutors waiving his right to appeal except in specific circumstances. The deal allowed him to fight the outcome of his case on the basis of ineffective lawyers, misconduct by prosecutors or changes in the law.
Murdaugh’s attorneys, Dick Harpootlian and Jim Griffin, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Limehouse, who led the prosecution, declined to comment.
The federal sentence Murdaugh faces is, at least for now, mostly a hypothetical exercise. Murdaugh, 55, is serving two life sentences in state prison for the June 2021 murders of his wife, Maggie, and son Paul at the family's Colleton County estate. And while he is appealing the murder convictions, he has agreed to a 27-year state sentence for his financial crimes.
Even in his best-case scenario, his lawyers concede, he won’t be eligible to leave state custody until he is 77 years old.
