Murdaugh friend and ex-attorney gets 4 years in federal prison for client thefts

Charleston, S.C. (CN) — He was a devoted family man and respected attorney who friends and family said was always willing to lend a helping hand to his less-fortunate neighbors in Beaufort County.

He was also a friend of ex-lawyer and convicted murderer Alex Murdaugh.

Cory Fleming was sentenced Tuesday in federal court to nearly four years in prison for helping to siphon a multimillion dollar settlement from the sons of the Murdaugh family’s housekeeper, Gloria Satterfield.

After the 57-year-old woman’s mysterious death in 2018 at the Murdaugh estate in Hampton, the now-infamous attorney convinced Satterfield’s sons to hire Fleming and file a claim against his insurers.

The insurers settled claims for more than $4.3 million. The sons didn’t see a penny.

Murdaugh is accused of stealing the bulk of the settlement, but Fleming confessed to skimming nearly $200,000 through paddled legal fees and phony expenses in a plea agreement filed in May.

The former partner at Moss, Kuhn & Fleming admitted he also stole from the estate of Hakeem Pinckney, a 19-year-old man left paralyzed from the waist down after a 2009 car collision. Hakeem died in a nursing home while his mother, Pamela, was recovering from her own injuries.

Fleming told the court Tuesday he knew from his nearly 25-year law career that a bad decision, or a series of bad decisions, could carry life-altering repercussions.

“Despite knowing that firsthand, I made terrible decisions and broke the law,” he admitted.

He told the Satterfield and Pinckney families, who watched from the the crowded gallery, he was deeply sorry. He betrayed their trust and tarnished the profession, he acknowledged.

He wept when he talked of the pain he caused his wife and two children.

“I promise you, I will try everyday for the rest of my life to earn back your respect,” he said.

Tony Satterfield, Gloria’s son, told Fleming the grace of God gave him the strength to forgive. Pamela Pinckney said she was still grieving the tragedy, but she turned to face the balding and bespectacled man who bowed his head at the defense’s table.

“I wanna let you know — I forgive you,” she said.

Family, friends and colleagues told the court they were shocked by the crime.

Fleming was a mentor to young attorneys and sounding board for colleagues, attorney Samuel Bauer wrote in a letter, while still finding the time to provide free counsel for indigent defendants in the lower courts.

“I cannot tell you how many countless times Cory took up helping these people without a thought of a fee or tally up pro bono hours,” Bauer wrote. “Cory simply saw people in need and rushed to help.”

Fleming, 54, was Murdaugh’s college roommate and the godfather of his youngest son, Paul.

Alex Murdaugh was convicted after a state trial in March of murdering Paul and his own wife, Maggie, in a desperate bid to hide a decade-long scheme to rob his personal injury clients.

Russell Laffitte, the former chief executive of Palmetto State Bank, was sentenced this month to seven years in prison for helping Murdaugh hide his ill-gotten gains in a complex financial scheme.

Fleming surrendered his law licenses in South Carolina and Georgia, according to a sentencing memorandum. Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Limehouse told the court Fleming sat with state and federal investigators after Murdaugh’s murder trial to provide information about the crimes.

U.S. District Court Judge Richard Gergel said he thought Fleming was sincerely remorseful, but he could not ignore the egregious nature of the crimes.

“He is no victim of Murdaugh — he joined the team,” the Obama appointee said.

Gergel sentenced Fleming to 46 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay more than $100,000 in restitution and a $20,000 fine.

The judge said he hoped it was a stiff enough sentence to deter other attorneys from disgracing the profession.

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