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

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

In the indictment, venued in Hampton County, the State Grand Jury charged Alex Murdaugh with nine counts of Willful Attempt to Evade or Defeat a Tax. For tax years 2011-2019, 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.

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 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 indictments here.