Alex Murdaugh accomplice sentenced to seven years in prison for fraud

An ex-CEO of a prestigious South Carolina bank will spend seven years in prison for helping convicted murderer Alex Murdaugh in a fraud scheme.

Russell Laffitte, heir to a banking dynasty in South Carolina's Lowcountry, helped Murdaugh steal some $2m (£1.6m) from clients' legal settlements.

Laffitte said he would appeal.

The former banker is the first of Murdaugh's associates to face prison time following the June 2021 deaths of his wife Maggie and son Paul.

Murdaugh, whose family was prominent in the Lowcountry, was sentenced in February to life in prison for their brutal killings.

Though Murdaugh has maintained his innocence over the deaths, he admitted to vast financial crimes, many through Palmetto State Bank - where Laffitte worked as CEO.

At his trial in February, Murdaugh tearfully admitted taking millions from settlements meant for his clients - stealing $3.7m (£3m) in 2019 alone - saying the money was used to fuel his opioid addiction. Murdaugh still faces nearly 100 financial charges.

According to federal prosecutors, Laffitte was instrumental in the financial crimes, using his role at Palmetto Bank to collect tens of thousands of dollars, claim as much as $450,000 in untaxable fees, and send large sums of money to Murdaugh.

During his sentencing, Laffitte apologised by name to each victim, local media reported, saying he had not fulfilled his duties to them. But the ex-banker maintained his own innocence, saying he had been taken advantage of by Murdaugh, a major customer.

The argument was dismissed by the prosecution.

"The government does not dispute that Murdaugh is the more culpable actor in the criminal conspiracy, or that Murdaugh benefited more from the scheme," the prosecution wrote in a July memo. "But the defendant was the only person who could have stopped him. Instead, the defendant enabled him. Repeatedly."

In addition to seven years in a federal prison, US District Judge Richard Gergel ordered Laffitte pay more than $3m in restitution, some of which will be covered by Murdaugh.

Other cases tied to the Murdaugh family are still ongoing.

In April, Murdaugh associate Curtis Edward Smith - known as Cousin Eddie - was released on bond for his alleged role in a botched assisted suicide scheme. Mr Smith, a distant cousin of Murdaugh's, is alleged to have tried to shoot Alex Murdaugh on a rural road months after his wife and son were killed.

Murdaugh admitted he organised a hit on himself so that his surviving son could collect $10m (£8.4m) in life insurance payments. Mr Smith has maintained his innocence, saying the gun went off by mistake. "If I shot him, he'd be dead," he said.

Last month, a grand jury was empanelled to hear evidence in the death of Stephen Smith, a South Carolina teenager found dead in the middle of the road in 2015. The police inquiry into the death was reopened in 2021, based on information found during its investigation into the deaths of Maggie and Paul.

Authorities did not say what that information was, neither did they make any link between that death and the Murdaugh family. Murdaugh's surviving son, Buster, a former classmate of Stephen Smith, who is not related to Curtis Edward Smith or the Murdaugh family, has denied any involvement in his death.