Attorney General Alan Wilson announces State Grand Jury issues second tax evasion indictment against Richard Alexander Murdaugh

(COLUMBIA, SC) - South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced today that the South Carolina State Grand Jury last week issued a new indictment against Richard Alexander Murdaugh. Alex Murdaugh was indicted for an additional two counts of Willful Attempt to Evade or Defeat a Tax.

The indictment, venued in Colleton County, alleges tax evasion for tax years 2020 and 2021. For those two years, Murdaugh failed to report $2,113,067 of income earned through illegal acts, thereby causing state taxable income to be underreported to the State of South Carolina in the amount of $132,572.

Murdaugh was previously indicted in December 2022 for tax evasion for tax years 2011 through 2019. In that indictment, venued in Hampton County, the State Grand Jury alleged 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 in the amount of $486,819.

In total, the two indictments allege $9,067,706 of unreported income and thus state tax evaded in the amount of $619,391.

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 20 indictments containing 101 charges against Murdaugh, the State Grand Jury has indicted Murdaugh for schemes to defraud victims of $8,789,447.77 and $619,391 to the State of South Carolina.

This State Grand Jury 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 State Grand Jury Division of 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.

 You can see the indictment here.