COLUMBIA, S.C. (WCBD) – A State Grand Jury on Friday issued new indictments against former attorney Alex Murdaugh related to tax evasion.
South Carolina Attorney General said Murdaugh was indicted for nine counts of ‘Willful Attempt to Evade or Defeat a Tax’ out of Hampton County for tax years 2011-2019.
According to Wilson’s office, the grand jury found that Murdaugh failed to report $6,954,639 of income “earned through illegal acts thereby causing state taxable income to be underreported to the State of South Carolina. Murdaugh owes state tax totaling $486,819.”
The crimes charged in the indictment carry the following classifications and penalties:
• Willful Attempt to Evade or Defeat a Tax is punishable by up to 5 years in prison and/or fine of up to $10,000 plus the cost of prosecution
“Altogether, through 19 indictments containing 99 charges against Murdaugh, the State Grand Jury has indicted Murdaugh for schemes to defraud victims of $8,789,447.77 and $486,819 to the State of South Carolina,” said Wilson.
The investigation is being conducted by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, the South Carolina 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.
“Attorney General Wilson stressed that all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until they are proven guilty in a court of law,” his office noted.
