Disbarred South Carolina lawyer Richard "Alex" Murdaugh, already convicted of murdering his wife and son, has been indicted on 22 counts of financial fraud, including charges involving the death of his housekeeper.
Murdaugh, 54, faces 14 counts of money laundering, five counts of wire fraud, one count of bank fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, according to federal indictments.
He is accused of using the money he obtained to feed a years-long addiction to opioids and to support his expensive lifestyle.
His attorneys said they anticipated the charges would be "resolved quickly without a trial".
"Alex has been cooperating with the United States Attorneys’ Office and federal agencies in their investigation of a broad range of activities," Jim Griffin and Richard Harpootlian said.
The new indictments include allegations that the former personal injury lawyer defrauded more than $US3.4 million ($5.2 million) from an insurance settlement meant for the family of his housekeeper, Gloria Satterfield, a news release from the US Attorney's office in South Carolina said.
Ms Satterfield died in 2018 after a fall at Murdaughs' home in Hampton, South Carolina.
In March the scion of a wealthy Charleston legal family was convicted of murdering wife Maggie and son Paul to distract from his financial crimes, including the thefts of millions of dollars from his law partners and clients.
Murdaugh admitted lying to police and clients, but denied killing his family.
The case attracted huge interest from around the world, and featured in a Netflix documentary.
Murdaugh is also accused of siphoning off disbursements from personal injury settlements to bank accounts controlled by him, as well as wire fraud and collecting fees on nonexistent annuities.
Before Murdaugh was charged with murder, he was in jail awaiting trial on about 100 other charges ranging from insurance fraud to tax evasion.
He is currently serving two life sentences for the murders of his wife and son.
ABC/Reuters
