Alex Murdaugh indicted on tax evasion charges by State Grand Jury

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WCSC) - Former Lowcountry attorney Alex Murdaugh on Friday was indicted on more financial crimes, the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office announced.

Murdaugh was indicted on nine counts of tax evasion alleging he failed to report nearly $7 million in earned income between 2011 and 2019, South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson said.

The unreported income equates to owed state tax totaling $486,819, Wilson said.

READ MORE: The Murdaugh Cases

The nine charges of willful attempt to evade or defeat a tax each carry a maximum sentence of five years in prison and/or a fine of $10,000 plus the cost of prosecution.

The indictments add to a list of financial charges against Murdaugh who is accused of schemes to defraud victims of more than $8.7 million.

All told, the State Grand Jury has brought 19 indictments, totaling 99 charges against Murdaugh.

The latest indictments are being investigated by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, the attorney general’s office, the South Carolina Department of Revenue, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Attorney’s Office.

The case will be prosecuted by The South Carolina Attorney General’s Office.

Murdaugh also is charged with two counts of murder in the June 7, 2021, deaths of his wife and son, 52-year-old Maggie Murdaugh and 22-year-old Paul Murdaugh. The murder trial is expected to be held in January.

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