Jeanne Seckinger testifies Alex Murdaugh stole money from law firm: full video
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- čas přidán 1. 02. 2023
- Jeanne Seckinger testified that Alex Murdaugh sometimes kept entire fees required by rules to be shared with the firm. Her testimony came during the Murdaugh's double murder trial on charges he killed his wife and son in South Carolina. He's also accused of taking millions of dollars from clients and his law firm.
#murdaugh #alexmurdaugh
I watched a program on television about a year ago and his brothers were interviewed and said they're just a typical all American family. If that's typical God help us all.
I knew this witness was Russell Lafitte’s sister in law, but I was surprised to see her walking into the courthouse with Lafitte and his wife for his trial. Russell Lafitte was found guilty for his part in Alex’s schemes.
I would love to know what the other Murdaugh’s are really thinking.
Alex’s brother, John Marvin , was helping Alex a lot during early jail house calls. Buster too, but not with as much enthusiasm or sincerity. Randy, the brother who was also a partner in the law firm , has been quiet.
Have they processed that no one was off limits to Alex? Not family ,law partners, long time friends , clients who were extremely vulnerable , his wife and his son.
The brothers and surviving son are all sitting behind Alex during this testimony. What are they thinking?
@@justanothersmith6012 Hi, I'm trying to get caught up on the case so whose sister in law...
Do you mean other folks had gotten in trouble over there? please let me know, thanks!
I saw that. That interview didn't age well.
@@justanothersmith6012 That's her sister walking in with Russell. Family is going to stick behind you no matter if you've done wrong or not. Alec had a severe drug problem and they know he wasn't right in his mind. He altered his thinking and senses with those drugs. He's got to pay the piper now, and they're doing their best to try and help him get the lightest sentence possible. I'm not defending Alec, this is just what most families do. I guess you'd abandon your family. 🤣🤣🤣
@@alexr3526 First , if you want the deep dive by excellent investigative journalists, the Murdaugh Murders podcast with Mandy Matney and Liz Ferrell is right here on youtube. Dick Harpootlian refers to them a lot because he hates that they have info on Alex and his “friends” . They work for FitsNews and Harpootlian refers to them , as well.
In this video the witnesses’ sister is married to Russell Lafitte of the Palmetto Bank who helped Alex and earned “fees” for doing it.
At the time of her testimony in Alex’s trial ,Lafitte was already tried and found guilty for his part.
It was just surprising to see her with Lafitte walking into his trial, considering the evidence she is testifying about in this trial. He might be “family” married to her sister, but he’s up to his eyeballs in Alex’s schemes , especially the Sutterfield case.
"It's not hearsay if they said it to me." ❤ #confidence
Right?! I loved that comment!
Depends what the issue is, actually.
@@tektako ahhhh yes, the "actually"
That cracked me up!
A bookkeeper has no business expressing a legal conclusion
Strong witness, full of knowledge
This lady is sharp as a tack. The defense lawyer couldn't discredit her at all. What a treasure she is to a company.
Absolutely. I was trying to see if I could determine where here gaze was going between cases. Was she looking with naked disgust at Alex? So it would seem. She's a strong woman. There she is, sitting up there alone with a stiff spine, a calm and quiet voice, and absolute conviction that her old boss was an absolute jerk. Every dime that she and her colleagues managed to recover for their clients could have just been swept under the rug. I don't know how many people in that office were involved in cleaning up Alex's mess, but every one of them deserves HUGE kudos for doing the right thing.
@@frelnc think what you want but why did this get by her to begin with? Benefiting in some way
@@junebuchholtz287 - Because Accounting for a multiple lawyer Law Firm is extremely complicated!
Please tell me your experience and education? Here’s mine- I was a Forensic Accountant for 27 years, went back and got my JD at 50 and now I’m a Tax Attorney.
She states she is the CFO and Office Manager and yet didn't notice millions of dollars being misappropriated for years.... their clients money
But she knows how much everyone in the office should be paid..
@@tattiebogle4976 - The money wasn’t “missing”! It was being paid to fraudulent companies and accounts. He was forging checks. Sometimes that takes years however, she did in fact catch it.
Something tells me it wasn’t an addiction problem. Not even gambling or extortion or blackmail. I think Alex was just slowly stashing money in some offshore banks. He’s been doing it for years, slowly and methodically. What screwed everything up was the boat crash and the fact that his finances were soon to be checked and exposed. That’s my theory. I think the stolen money is out there somewhere.
Greed! Pure greed and evil! But everyone already knew lawyers are greedy and con artist so there's that
I’ve been thinking exactly the same hearing these amounts- you can’t snort /spend that much- I think your theory is spot on … wonder where it is ?? …
And that’s why he murdered his wife and son
I agree with you that’s what people like that usually do so nobody can find it he was very cunning and had no problems with hurting others that’s for sure but the boat accident was gonna cost a lot of money and the blame was on his son that was gonna cost millions of dollars
OFCOURSE!!!
How can anyone believe otherwise lol
Defense should have passed on questioning this lady. She is too articulate.
You can tell the CFO has FEELINGS on this. Alex created massive amounts of work for her to unravel it all, it shorted her and all the partners their bonuses because their errors and omissions policy doesn’t cover all the client restitution, which had to come from firm profit, plus he made her look bad at her job for not catching his swindling years earlier. I don’t actually fault her, because why WOULD she suspect one of her bosses of embezzling? For all those reasons, she has no sorrow for Alex, and doesn’t mind one bit explaining the wrong he did.
I totally agree with your comment. She looks disgusted with him and can't wait to spill the beans on that stand!!! She is every bit of comfortable testifying against him!!!
Her brother-in-law, Mr. Lafitte, was the bank manager @ Palmetto Bank. He was in cahoots with Alex. He was tried, found guilty, and is now in prison. So, this whole mess has greatly affected her and her family!
@@patevans3709 oh my goodness! What a shame.
separation of duties is sooooo important!!
Great comment.
This lady’s got the goods, if the prosecution needs only one financial witness she’s it.
Facts !!
How do you trust someone that is related to the Crooked Banker Lafitte.
She is good, as is her co-worker, Annette.
For sure! 😂
She missed it for 11 years. Not that bright.
Good witness. Smart woman.
A smart woman who is the CFO and Office Manager of a company should notice that millions of dollars of clients money is going amiss over years.
My 12 year old would have noticed 8 million dollars missing so not that smart
She’s been waiting years for this moment 😂
She wasn't putting up with his good ol' boy bs and had no trouble making sure he knew it. Absolute badass.
Why did the stealing go on for years? 3 years, I think, before they caught on.
@@nancyfahey7518 They weren't looking for it is my best guess. She still thought he was trustworthy. She's pissed and I don't blame her.
@@hazyaspect I hear you. But this is one of the jobs of keeping the books. To make sure "mistakes" don't happen. I would not hire this company. They are slakers. Getting big bucks, for what, nothing.
@@nancyfahey7518 The fact that lawyers take out all their fees first and the victims get whatever happens to be leftover is reprehensible. Lawyers in love indeed...
I am really impressed with this woman. She really knows her stuff!!!
And to add very fearless!
I know, right??! I wouldn't wanna get on her bad side, LOL.
I'm not impressed. She should have figured out that criminal was stealing years ago. He was stealing money every year for over a decade. It should not have taken her that long to figure it out. How do you reconcile the numbers when the bank balances do not tie to the balance sheets?
Impressed by not catching the 8 million or by missing it for 10 years? HR Block wouldn’t hire her
@@cjking4511 you definitely have a valid point. I just everyone trusted him too much to even fathom he was stealing the money and with that fake forge account I think that fooled people as well. It looked like the money was going to a legitimate place
I like the way this prosecutor is presenting his case.
Very succinct. I like him.
I do too.
He’s thorough and I like that
Where is this defense attorney going with this kind of long drawn out questioning? Seems like time wasted in court.
@@j.c.7555 that’s seems to be their go-to method for all their lines of witness questioning: meandering and never arriving at any real point. Smh… I guess that’s what you do when you don’t have a case?
I hope this lady is paid VERY well along with the other ladies, she is on top on everything.
Not really bc she didn't notice all that money was missing. She only noticed after that fact when Alex's paralegal brought it to her attention.
@@btrotter4775 It goes even deeper! Her brother in law (Lafitte) was the bank CEO Murdaugh was doing the banking through and convicted of for a bunch of financial crimes related to this. A co conspirator that also gave him big loans without any paperwork or collateral. Many of the settlement accounts went through his bank. Only she knows what she truly knew /didn’t know or may have turned a blind eye to in the name of family, longtime connections, good ol’ boys club, etc.
??? She is the Office Manager and CFO and yet didn't realise millions of dollars of their clients monies going amiss.... she is certainly not on top of everything .
@@btrotter4775 or maybe she did know?? 🤷♀️
She does seem so on top of everything. I would think she should’ve noticed something. How long was this going on? If through a year end books closing, then she would’ve had to know.
Every lawyer needs to be investigated in that law office also Alex father and Grandfather
She was awesome Court room should have stood and cheered for her being so honest and not bullied by this thief and murderer.
This woman is amazing. She was the one that dropped the ax on him.
Gloria Satterfield was paid a measly $10 an hour and she raised those kids!
Her closest friend said Gloria was at times living in her car. So sad.
Loyalty means nothing to a lot of folks. Alex spent nearly $9,000 for Buster and Paul to have custom built firearms while Gloria's son's lost their mobile home to foreclosure. I can't imagine how difficult it must have been for Gloria to work in that world of excess while she lived in poverty. Something tells me she was honest and giving to a fault. It's a shame she didn't live to see Humpty Dumpty take his fall.
Omg I'm so ashamed of these ( murdaugh ) makes me wonder how many other lawyers are doing this in other small towns and how to solve these problems effectively not 20 tears later
Absolutely unethical and inhumane treating an employee like that, particularly the one that is taking care of two of the most important things in your life- your kids and your home. At the very least, she should have had her own space at each of their homes along with a good salary. They treated that woman like dirt.
@@bellesouth3052 doesnt surprise me, not only did the murdaughs never use her name until dispatch asked paul, paul got upset like he did with the boat incident. He doesnt like questions because he is guilty, bet he was drinking with his attitude to.
alex watched and let the lives of people he stole from crumble. He watched them struggle and lose their houses and livelihoods. But he made SURE his lawyer friends, bank friends, people law force etc got well taken care of paid handsomely. It makes me sick to think how many other people are doing this very thing across the globe.
How could this have gone on for 10 years?
AM was hiding his theft.
Someone wasn't doing their job.
The defense team speaks so slow with all of those insidious pauses, that the witness jumps in before he can finish his question. Either they’re slow or trying to play humbly dumb. It’s painful to listen to him. This woman is disgusted.
Its awful, he cant connect a sentence. I can not figure out how Alex or Jim are even attorneys. They both seem to lack any substance and sound ridiculous the minute they open their mouths.
This lady testifying is an excellent witness..she has answered EVERY question without hesitation, even to correcting amounts misquoted..
I especially noted she didn't guess at what she DIDN'T KNOW for a fact..
Lawyer for Alex is flailing and drowning. Ms. Seckinger is the prefect witness for the Prosecutor. I would have presented the results from the independent audit as well. Maybe that is still coming. There is difference between an agreement regarding fees between partners and one partner secretly taking money. It goes to character.
Here’s my thoughts
1. His wife was leaving him and was prob gonna take him to the cleaners and with her dead that wouldn’t happen so he wouldn’t have to pay her after she was dispatched
And
2. Paul was about to cost him millions of dollars because of the boating accident so he dispatched Paul because of that
Thank you! I’m late to this Trial and that helps a lot.
@@BBB-rd2qi I could be REALLY wrong about all of that however this trial is fascinating and try to get caught up because Alex M is prob the biggest pos ever in the history of shitty people. He will walk for these murders as it stands at the moment the state has yet to prove anything… CNN made a great show about the murdaugh family that really helped me a lot to understand what all he’s on trial for
@@jhgandy2653 - I agree with you on many things, especially what an e-bike, vial, monster he is! Yes, he was trusted too much.
I remember when the boat accident happened as I followed it closely. I have a daughter the same age as Ms. Beach. I hope and pray he doesn’t walk for these murders. That would be a travesty.
I don’t believe it was because of the opiate addiction.
problems 1) The wife already knew there was no money-she stated she was worried about money to their friend /housekeeper/veteran/bilingual amazing woman.
2) The boating thing was gonna be public true but kinda already was for a long time.
3) BUT crazy People don’t kill people for these reasons exactly. They kill for the same reasons cutters cut themselves-they feel out of control big time-and they will let the cutting provide themselves temporary relief. You are likely partially correct in that these two had really upset him and he could BLAME them and focus anger on them without having to take an accounting of his own liability. His insane intentions were to kill them and then kill himself but he killed them and then went catatonic rather than kill himself. Typically Cowardly but also a biological imperative to stay alive so probably he was just unable to do it. Thankfully my Dad went catatonic when he threatened to kill us all one night…I suppose. He held a gun on mom while he raged on and on until the sun came up and he just left for a while. I lay there all night waiting for him to come kill me first. He had already tried to kill just me multiple times. Anyway I had to show up at school the next day anyway and life trudged on. Psychopaths don’t think like you and me. I learned this long ago. They think in terms of their desires, and of their fears-sequential thinking -this action-then that consequence -just doesn’t work in their heads. Remorse-nope they don’t have it until they find themselves sorry for themselves. This is how they think vs a normal person:
“I am mad! But if I kill that person-I will regret it! I’f probably get blamed as well!”
Psycho: I am mad! I am also upset about everTHING! I must destroy! I’ll show tbem! nnnnñ
AM wasn't even careful. He straight up took every dime from every client. Poor people who had tons of injuries & medical bills. Do not tell me AM doesn't have a huge stash of cash sitting somewhere! Opiate addiction my azz.
Agree 💯
No he didn’t take every penny from every one. He took every penny from just a few. Everyone else, his other clients, he just overcharged them or skimmed some.
Great witness intelligent eloquent and very calm.
Very professional CFO, extraordinary at articulating in court the accounting details.
😂 Professional?? States she is the CFO and Office Manager yet she didn't notice millions of dollars of clients money going amiss. She had no checks and balances. The firm are trying to save themselves now by repaying clients who have been waiting for years for their money.
And it wasn't her who uncovered this mess.
@@tattiebogle4976 imo she was not clueless. She knew exactly where every penny went because she kept two books. Every partner there was skimming money!!!
Critical thinking leads to the realization that these are essentially employees, and the general population does not suspect nor go after their bosses. Especially after many years of familiarity and trust? Especially when that employer is stealing from more than just his company, and is a skilled manipulator and liar? Also found guilty of murder-come on, that is someone who can do anything to get what he desires.
Attacking someone from your couch is silly and wrong. Who is on trial? Why stand so strongly on changing public opinion on a person who is unwillingly involved, and for ALL knowledge innocent???
Leave this poor lady alone. Calm down. Stop commenting your goofy suspicions, and get a grip.
Unbelievable theft!! Alex had no conscience!! How could he sleep? How could he live amongst the mass amount of people he stole from??! I just can't imagine!
Now I am convinced he is a killer. I did not want to accept he was ☹️
He doesn't think like most folks. Narcissistic, sociopath, plus other descriptions for this I'm sure.
@@twocents288 not if he’s found guilty of murder. Maybe if only on trial these financial crimes.
@@twocents288 he may go free actually
Alcohol and s
Drugs lower yur inhibitions
I bet he regrets giving her that dirty look and asking her “what do you want now?!” Don’t you?
😂 he’s still trying to stare her down and she’s giving him defiant eye contact
He's been staring at the prosecutor CW like he would like to shoot him.
If you do bad it will always catch up with you. It’s the law of the universe.
It is also referred to as Karma.
The defense attorney is not doing anything to punch holes in this witness testimony.
A waste of cross examination
Couldn’t this defense attorney be a bit more prepared- She is truly Amazing & so knowledgeable. Great job!
O agree with you 💯 %
LOL You cannot defend the undefendable. The proof that he stole the money was irrefutable. He had already been disbarred by the state bar. The best thing his defense attorney could have done was to pass on asking her questions because it is obviously clear and proven he stole that money.
This defense attorney reminds me of watching a middle schooler losing in a debate class.
God said, "The love of money is the root of all evil.". 😥😥😥
There’s no bull with this lady! What an amazing employee she doesn’t hold back. She made the defense look like an idiot… kudos to her.
She didn't have to do much...
hrdh
Amazing employee???? She failed the firm and let Alex continue to steal! THAT .....is what is amazing!!!
It is surprising that the law firm didn’t demand written proof that the clients’ money was placed in these offsite accounts. Negligence in a big way. Attorneys are legend for saying that anything unwritten is nonexistent.
I get the feeling there is no love lost between Jeanne Seckinger and Alex Murdaugh.
I agree @Gizmo Rob! This woman does not give two fucks about Alex (Ellic🤷🏻♀️) 😂
He likely caused her a lot of embarrassment. The common sense question the employees at that law firm are probably asking is how did he get away with stealing money for so many years and she did not catch it? He also caused her a lot of work and being forced to testify multiple times against him. This was likely not the first time she was forced to either testify or give a deposition because there must have been some form of legal investigation / proceedings done when he was disbarred by the bar and also when the law firm opened a police investigation.
Yup she worked for a Law Fraud which would look awesome on a resume. I would be pissed too
She’s mad only because AM blow up the whole law firm by being reckless. THEY, the partners were ALL skimming money.
Excellent witness for the prosecution. But wow...watching that defense atty flail around for so long was just painful. What a bumbling fool, with absolutely nothing to go on. His exam was a giant 360 getting nowhere and just sputtering. Jeez.
Imagine how many law firms in the south that harbor degenerate lawyers like this murderous lying thief?The good ole land of Dixie! 🤮
That defense lawyer is ridicules has no real questions to ask
Another female ROCK STAR for the prosecution!!🤩💪🏼👍🏼
It’s not a male female situation ass hole it’s about justice
This lady got on that witness stand READY and was not having anyone on the defense team try her at all.
Too bad she wasn’t ready, and doing her job, for the past ten years? She’s too knowledgeable to NOT know the books were off. She makes me sick.
Alec got away with defrauding so many people and would still be doing it the firm wasn't watching him thinking he's gonna hide assets from the boat crash lawsuits.
You don't gonin thinking someone is a crook. I guess everyone need to be watched, then someone got to watch the watcher. If they are corrupt, they're just corrupt.
Mallory is never mentioned when they bring up “the boat case.” They mention the crash, civil suites, and threats to Paul afterwards. How about mentioning a young girl died!
You must mean Mallory?
@@ludmilaarmstrong3808 oh yes yes
@@boblee126 you being sarcastic ? Or serious? And what does it matter who was driving to just mention someone died. Everyone just dances around that part.
That case ha nothing to do with this case but to mention her will only make it seem that one of her loved ones committed the murders as revenge which is what I think AM wanted people to think in the first place
Yeahnthat would be a bad idea. So what then the defense can say AM was set up out of revenge for Mallorys death. Also Paul was the target. Do you notbthink about those things or do you just operate on emotion?
What I don’t understand is how he could rob somebody completely blind, take every dime of their settlement, and nobody realize the money was missing. How about the person who the judgment was for… how did they not know that they were owed that money?
Alex had his friends involved, everyone said the case isn’t settled yet
He never told several clients a settlement was reached. He preyed on his poorest most trusting clients.
And for 15 years
@@listen2learn512 AND he lied about how much the settlement was going to be for. He told glorias son he should get then about 500k. then when michael asked again, he said it wasnt goig well but he *thinks* he could get them 100k each.
Meanwhile alex is getting millions from it. How would the little guy know these things? thats *why* you pay lawyers lol
@Phoenix Merridian agree. Also, no offense here, but perhaps he selected people who were less educated, blue collar. They trusted Alex implicitly, and he played on that. It's sociopathic.
I always thought the reason a defense attorney cross examination was to make a point for their side. I don't see anything good coming out of this for the defense. It's just making their client look like the thief he is. How does that help?
There’s no question that he stole money he has yet to face that it will come probably after this
It didn't help when the elder defense attorney would grandstand. To pronounce it was an honor to defend AM when (in the very least) his client was a world class swindler sounded desperate.
The judge should have admonished the courtroom observers too when they laughed inappropriately when this same atty made some flippant remark after just trying to guilt out the housekeeper's son on the stand by implying the family made out better off financially as a result of AM stealing their money as if it was the Satterfield's fault they had to get another firm in order to go through it all again. It wasn't their fault they won more money. How dare he revictimize the family.
Just DYI: An attorney(s)' office does its books for sure at least once a year for tax reasons. How this theft continued without any other partner knowing about it is unbelievably nonsense. Lawyers love their money and will have the office mgr and also tax accountants review their books to suck in every penny they can and pay the least amount in taxes. Somebody in that law firm knew what Alex was doing-if not all of them. JMO!
Yes! Thank you!!!
Did you intend to write FYI instead of DIY?
Daddy taught him the ropes.
I respectfully disagree! You are stating conjecture and supposition… and a lot of it. I’m a Forensic Accountant of 27 years.
Starting at a simplistic level, bookkeeping is easily manipulated. Federal income taxes filed annually are not set on a drop dead date, ie. extensions, loss carrybacks, etc. Then you have K1’s, K2’s, distributions, LLC, deferred income, etc, Now add in the Law Firm component with dozens of trust accounts/entities, structured settlement’s, annuities, deferred disbursements, on and on. That’s not getting into estates.
You obviously are not familiar with the US tax code! The IRS is grossly understaffed and takes years, if ever.
Edit: sp
This is a small town that the murdaughs ran for years, like I said last week, Alex went into the bank and got what ever loan he wanted and told the people in charge he will come by and do the paperwork later, I don't have it like that in my city do you.
Unbelievable this man has gotten away with so much in the past! Despicable human being and Buster better watch out or he will go down too. This is an excellent witness..very knowedgable!Defense is not going to trip her up…he is struggling to defend.
I think Buster is his golden boy.
i wouldn't want buster as an attorney, or want any firm that hired him to represent me. i wonder if that will go into the calculation of anyone willing to hire him as an attorney, if he manages to pass the bar.
Just like Clinton’s and BIDENS. DECADES!!! And they’ve got the goods on a lot of others as they accepted part of the stolen loot. Pallets of CASH FLONE OUT DEAD OF NIGHT!!?? Really!!
@@paularubin4711 transparent fox 'news' agenda alert! transparent fox 'news' agenda alert! transparent fox 'news' agenda alert!
@@mmm-mmm The crazy FOX Tucker Carlson screamer network. Carlson is getting sued! Go Dominion, get him!
This financial fraud proves he has no conscience. Which means he is capable of murdering his son and wife. Something that I could not imagine before I heard this. Thank God his partners did the right moral thing - and paid all those owed their money. Just when you think you’ve seen everything..
I think it shouldn't be allowed in cause it's one thing to steal from people it's an entirely different story when you blow your son's brains out. Its to prejudicial rather than provative and opens the door to an appeal they got enough proof without muddling the waters.
They tried to not pay some of them.
I sure feel for his remaining son who is sitting behind him with the red hair.
"Because Alex stole the money" say it again! She's awesome.
I loved that part. It happened like 70 times.
Funny how that defence lawyer is meticulously painting a picture of his client being a crook. Wow. He must hate his client too.
Smells like alex was paying someone off cant possibly be all on drugs
Just said exactly that
Yes, I agree. Several someones. The money trail was usually a big portion to himself and to pay some bills and the rest was said to be "to associates" but so far those associate's names have not been made public. The financial crimes are still being investigated and things continue to come to light and I believe that this is far from over and even if he is not found guilty of murder, he will never get out of prison. Can't think of a more deserving person. He's a "white collar" monster.
Imagine he's most likely housed with inmates he put in there
That’s honestly my primary reason for keeping up with this trial. I’m convinced he had to have a gambling addiction also or was being blackmailed. How do you spend that much on pills and somehow be able to function?
Trusting in someone who’s holding all ur money and ur awaiting treasure who’s a known thief and killer
After hearing the testimony of the young man who's mother was their housekeeper and passed away. I was so angry how Murdaugh cheated both the brothers out of their settlement. Disgusting.
whose
@@isabellind1292 small town ...everybody knows everybody. They are maybe all from the same Mason Lodge...what do we know?
Jennie is one smart lady who caught all of Alex stealing from the firm and clients… 🙏🏽👏🏾👏🏾
If she was so smart why was he stealing for years ? Crazy how he made it happen and he didn't see it
This witness will be lethal to Alex if she’s allowed to testify in front of the jury.
She is competent, confident, and completely disgusted with Alex.
The FAKE! forge spits out of her mouth as she glances over to Mr Alex 😏
So why couldn’t the jury be present in this particular part her testifying how Alex was so evil???
@@annaalicea5552 they did. The judge wanted to hear her testimony prior to the jury hearing it so he could make sure she wasn’t going to “unfairly taint” his character. The judge ruled that she and the other financial crime witnesses could testify in front of the jury.
This is exactly the sort of person who should be in charge of money matters. No ego, no power tripping or attitude. Jus doin her job.
Agree 100%
Agree 100%
I wonder how many other law firms are doing this playing accountant? We’re out of peoples money, shifting it around, moving it around hiding it, using it for Daron benefits, etc. etc. etc..
Tom Girardi
Well, regardless if it is done legally or illegally if a law firm takes on a personal injury case they typically charge around 40 percent of any money awarded if the case is taken on a contingency basis. That is the contract terms most people have to sign with the law firm if they want to be represented. Even though this firm charges "1/3rd" of the money awarded I bet when they add on their legal fees it is about 40 percent. Then that money goes through a settlement company and there are settlement and taxes taken out before the people ever get their money.
Wow! The amount of $ he stole from his clients is staggering. You would never think a lawyer at a reputable firm would be able to get away with this for as long as he did. Then, it ALL blew up in his face. Still not understanding why he would hurt his family (presumably).
A long long sneaky time! Ruined his family name for ever
Wondered how much his assistant was aware of his ongoing financial fraud and why was it not brought to light earlier
His assistant was told what to say, do act. It’s NOT a Coincidence that she found that check. As a matter of fact PMPED was contacted just weeks before this “find” by the insurance investigators for the two insurance companies involved in Gloria Satterfields payout. PMPED’s name was all over Gloria’s case. PMPED was told to prepare to open all their books to the investigators!! And this is why they suddenly decided to find 10 years worth of theft. If they didn’t the investigators would. --go to CZcams and look for Murdaugh Murder Podcast. Just watch out because you are going to learn sooo much more about who was involved
“Oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive.”
This judge is cool, calm, and collected. He refuses to be baited, and will not let either the defense or the prosecution walk over him. He's a credit to the bench. The level of decorum in that courtroom should serve as an example to any courtroom in the country. The prosecutor, on the other hand, is spending all his time trying to discredit the witnesses. Without success.
I think you meant to say the defense attorneys are trying to discredit the witnesses. The prosecutor-Creighton Waters- is top notch.
That's backwards
That's the Defense you are referring to.
That's the prosecutor's witness.
Mary Kay Thompson. Brilliant & 100% accurate comment, Bravo & well stated.
I watched this entire testimony, this lady knows her stuff!! It was fascinating to listen to her.
I watched her several times too. Both times she testified.. i love to hear her talk
After all these years of clients not getting any payments, why didn't the clients raise hell? I mean, not even one client wondered why they lost the case? Even a really good case that should've won? I don't get it.
Over all these years, didnt these clients question where their monies were? Seems like there’s so many that someone would have alerted someone other than Alex if he was their representative. These weren’t small amounts the clients were awarded. Bizarre!
I think he will have lied bare faced to them. He must have had a convincing story.
Maybe because the trust was set up as an annuity, it made payments? And maybe it just hadn't hit the bottom of the barrel, so the client was still getting payments, but eventually, it would've run out.
@@derekbarnett1584 Highly possible.
Rich pple
So much money he knew they wouldn't know.
It's called filthy rich
@IndigoBlue lol, I'm still watching. Apparently, there are some settlements that he took it all. So, it is bizarre. Probably was shining these clients on. I saw a documentary about all of this some time ago, and they interviewed people who said alex lied to them and was always promising the money was on its way.
Damn! Stole the money And took a fee! Evil is the only word I can think of!
If she was over everything concerning all monies that came through the law firm why did it take years to find out all the monies Alex had taken & why was he able to take millions from the clients & the firm ? When the firm had her & so many employees handling the monies . They knew the clients that were in lawsuits or suing insurance companies . They allowed Alex to be able to take the monies because they were negligent in doing their jobs . Even she was negligent in her job . The defense should tear into her & into this ..Major Red Flags concerning the Firm 📢
The defense doesn’t want his financial crimes to come out. They fought hard to try to keep it out. They aren’t going press her to divulge more suspicions about his possible theft. If that’s what you meant. But I agree, his theft had gone on for years. How was that missed?
Because no one person handles the entirety of a transaction amd he can avoid detection for a while, short or long but eventually the numbers don’t add up. He created a whole fake account in the name of the correct one so obv there’d be no reason to suspect for a while. Plus fraud and theft wouldnt be anyones first suspicion, he was mad to think he’d get away with it forever.
Why does this happen all the time every time you hear about someone embezzling money from a company that took years to find out about it happens often that I hear about
Look. She knew that money wasn’t there just like all the partners. Here’s the thing PMED was told by insurance investigators for the two insurance companies that paid on Gloria Satterfields death that PMED’s name was all over Gloria’s paperwork and that a complaint had been filed and that PMED will HAVE to open all their books in a matter of months. It was than and only than that the theft was found, and they started paying back clients right away to avoid losing their license, which would’ve happened when the investigators looked at their books.
If AM was this crooked, I bet his dad died knowing it and probably had just looked the other way for a long time.
When you compare how this Law Firm handled corruption within their law firm by repaying all the clients that Alex stole from compared to the Tom Garardi ( Real housewives of Beverly Hills) I have the GREATEST respect & honour for this South Carolina Law Firm. Garardi & his Partners are still trying their best to abscond from repaying their victim.
Hmmm no. When these lawyers payed back the clients AM cheated they charged the clients money/fees for their time! AND they didn’t put the right amounts owned to many of these people.
I haven’t heard anybody talk about this, but if Alex was the County Solicitor and has openly admitted to his drug abuse and fraud, how would that effect all the cases and trials he prosecuted?
I can't fault the defense attorney! He's trying to defend the indefensible! I would hate to be him because I would look just as dumb as he does right now! I absolutely wouldn't have taken this case! My word/reputation is worth more than money to me!
Why didn’t the clients know they had won and wonder where their settlements were?Did they contact the office? There must have been some serious stalling by Alec!!
Do you remember Michael Avenatti? It’s not that difficult to swindle from clients. It probably happens way more than is publicized.
The guy who was married to one of the tv housewives did a similar type of theft. He was a big shot attorney also..Forgot his name
@@tmcurly her Nem was Kim they went to prison
Sadly some clients were children that lost parents in an accident and was meant to be put into a trust to be paid out when they turned 18 years old he was evil and truly heartbreaking for poor children involved to steal from anyone but children is another level of evil
Alec lied to the clients. He was a powerful lawyer and the most common people don't have much knowledge of lawsuits and trust their lawyer.
She is a genius. And Alex sits there with no shame
I have the need to go to mosselle property and help the new owners dig up the murder clothes and money buried on that property !!!!!
What did he do with the money??
He spent it on his drug habit.
@@soupnfresh impossible opiates do not costs millions of dollars people are too quick to believe that all addicts steal when most don't they lose homes, jobs even family but it isn't a multi million dollars habit! He's connected how much money do you think he's gonna spend even when supplementing what he gets from a doctor ? Not millions.
If he was that addicted to opiates someone would have said he was high on something that's just an excuse people are told but in reality he's got a dr that writes him a script that doesn't cost millions a year.
@@therealz360z7 I was very addicted to opiates. I was going to college, had a 4.0 and a job. No one knew I was high.
@@therealz360z7 gambling is a possibility. One CZcams video shows buster and John Marvin flying to Las Vegas to gamble.
I wonder if he ever did "Pro Bono" cases as far as his firm was concerned, but secretly charged fees that went directly to him. I wouldn't be surprised if he did. We're only looking at a small segment of cases that came to light, but how many more cases must there be where fee's were misdirected over many years.
Not sure about SC but in Colorado as well as Nevada certainly amount of pro Bono hours per year.
It's not about just fees, he stole their entire settlements. He picked the poor clients who can't fight back and don't know what to do.
I find this very interesting as I'm sure you do to being a bookkeeper. She is an excellent witness and maintaining her cool and I understand 100% everything she is saying so they can't say that she's screwing up the whole deal because she's not. Have you seen this part yet? Alex doesn't look too happy about any of this!
She is not a bookkeeper--She is the CFO. She has a BS in Accounting and was also head of HR for the company. She is FAR MORE than the responsibilities of a bookkeeper. She is excellent! I am incredibly impressed by her knowledge base and application. However, I am surprised that they never had an outside CPA perform a forensic annual report just as most companies do when handling such a volume of cases and multimillion dollars. That objective, extra set of eyes reinforces her credibility--and might have caught Alec's ruses much earlier. Please note: I am NOT finding any fault with her--just the opposite.
I’ll say it than, she IS AT FAULT HERE!! As you say, BS Accounting, HR, CFO…AND yes a yearly CPA audit is STANDARD!! ITS A NO BRAINER. They teach this as “law” in high school business classes. She makes me ill. She thinks we’re fools…
A partner of my husband had a previous business. It was not until his bookkeeper was out on sick leave, that a prior bookkeeper discover that the current bookkeeper had embezzled 150,000.
Makes one think that owners should have more direct involvement in the distribution of funds. Tough when running a large business and owners are busy making the business
successful.
Hahaha...Jeanne made the Defense look like a Twat, "It's not hearsay if they say it to me" love it
Defense is getting nowhere. I would hate to be his attorney.
They allowed Alex to resign instead of leaving the building in handcuffs for money laundering
Whoa! Slam dunk for both the prosecutor and the witness!
Thank you. Watching from Alaska.
Jim Griffin, worst lawyer ever.
He’s got a bad client with some really bad facts. That’s difficult to work with.
The other one is no prize either.
I think this woman has earned her law degree! You aren’t smuggling out a penny on her watch!
Her degree is in accounting--she is not an attorney. She is the CFO and administers HR.
Isn't that exactly what happened, though? And was it not his paralegal who effectively brought this info to this witness?
I don't think this lady is quite the hero she's being painted out as ..
Wonder how Buster is feeling listening to how corrupt his father is......wonder also who he thinks had motive to kill his mother and brother
Buster was expelled from law school his very first semester for plagiarism/cheating. I do not think Buster has any more scruples than his father does. He is probably angry because his dad squandered his inheritance--nothing more. When Paul was at the police station after the boat accident, his first call was to his Grandfather Buster--NOT his father, an attorney, or his mother. I think that says a lot about Alex's relationship with his kids. He was a bank, not a parent.
I don't understand how this woman did accurate reconciliation at the end of each year when the stolen money would have made the balance sheets not reconcile. I think Alex Murdaugh's stealing from the firm could have been caught sooner if this woman had done a better job at accounting but instead he was stealing for over a decade from them.
The DA just asked Murdochs team if they want us to stop going to the forensic files of all the misappropriation and Murdochs team just threw the hands up in the air and said oh for god sake, you might as well keep going now
🤣😂🤣😂
Have to give credit to the firm for reimbursing clients (which is only right) but also reimbursing for other things like the personal flight charged as an expense and for the PR expense (which was refunded because “we didn’t do our job”)
I have an extremely hard time believing that he’d stolen the amount of money he had and that this financial manager who is so knowledgeable had no clue and only became concerned when Alex’s paralegal brought it to her attention and then that her and the partners were concerned because “they were worried about him hiding money from the boat wreck”.
Well believe it cuz it happened. He was the boss the main boss in that firm basically they've known each other for over 30 years they had no reason to not believe what he was saying. This is how this sht happens. Eventually right... people F find out.
I hope she mentors to young people preparing for the workplace!
@@chrismondrick5422 She should have noticed Millions missing over the years. I have.been doing this kind of work for 20 years, and nothing like this makes sense. It should be noticed.
@@debbielockhart7762 this lady is to much. She knew exactly how much money was skimmed and exactly to whom the money was owned. She kept side books. ALL the partners in the firm took money. She wants us to believe she didn’t catch this?! Ten Years of this?! ….This lady is making a fool of anyone who believes her BS.
The defense lawyers suck. They are going to lose this case.
It appears to me that they are trying to lose the case so he can be on bond pending an appeal for ineffective counsel
I’d trust this woman with my soul !
I could watch Creighton and Jeanne all day. Two pros just telling a story, as the murderer sits there biting his cheeks and seething.
How did the clients not know that Alex stole money from them? It seems like you should notice if you didn't get a check for $150,000
It's a pyramid scheme. You pay some while you steal from new people. Classic fraud. Not to mention slick slide of hand in fake charges. Real pos.
AM stole money for years and wasn’t caught, he gets caught only when he steals from the law firm? Interesting
I am surprised these women didn't go to another partner lawyer and discuss these odd transactions. These people are way too wrapped up in each other. Alex's apology letter professing his love was another manipulation technique. I guess that is the NYer in me. Eyes in the back of my head.
This witness is so impressive, clearly knows her stuff, and you could see the distain and disgust for what he did. But as someone who has served in the firld of accounting for 30 plus years, knowing how general "accounting" works, for the life of me I can't compute how he was able to get away with it for as long as he did without discrepancies showing up. He was able to steal millions of dollars, and it took the courage, dedication and sharp eye of his paralegal reporting the incidents to her. Granted I've never worked for a law firm, perhaps their accounting methods are different then what I know to be 101 conventional, but for me if a company is closing on a monthly or quarterly basis, how he was able to steal millions right under their eyes is s complete mystery. I'm not implying she did anything wrong, she clearly is a CFO with integrity, but it still makes no sense to this mere bookkeeper.
I think there is a missing layer of oversight. Not from the US but he was getting all these settlements and paying to a fake bank account. Where is the layer that accounts for his time - what he is working on and someone overseeing that these cases were complete - so that they are forecasting the money coming in?
This CFO was asleep at the wheel!
You answered your own question. She sits there all smart and knowledgeable as she tells us AM “got away” with stealing for ten years? It’s not possible for her to be both, competent and too stupid to catch AM at the same time!!! She’s thinking we’re all fools.
He lied about reasons for illegitimate payments. I always check invoices/documentation so something like this could never happen to me but I get that they probably didn't have strict policies
@@mirjanabosnjak8064 I keep telling people here the same thing. No way that lady didn’t know!!!!
defense attorney: "i 'll just keep digging with this shovel. i should get out of this whole sooner or later..."
5 minutes in and this lady is showing she knows what's what. I can guarantee nothing gets by this lady. To bad this lady wasn't in charge of the whole firm.
Lol. The whole firm? She couldn’t even do her own job as CFO!!! AM stole for how many years? If this lady was doing her job she would have caught him in one quarter, 3 months, or at minimum in one year when she did the yearly books. Nothing got past her? EVERYTHING got past her.
This CFO was horrible. She literally didn’t catch a thing for years. A great CFO/Accountant doesn’t let anything slip by them…
LOL she let it slip by them for 10 years. She did not do “deep dig audits” during those years obviously or she would have stopped Alex after year one…unless she did deep digs each year and just let it slide as if “no one will ever know”. Everyone wants to paint her as the firm’s savior. This evidence of all the money thievery that GOT PAST HER for 10 years makes me wonder is she competent at her job…for gods sake she’s the firms CFO (chief financial officer). That means she’s responsible for every dime that affects that firm. I mean seriously…for 10 years!!!
If I ran this firm…and after all this came out…I’d be wanting to know “hey CFO how is it all this got past you…and your annual internal audits for 10 years…please explain that so that it makes sense to me”. She might be looking for new employment after this all settles down.
His lawyers defense,why did you catch him? He's been doing this since 2014,and you just now caught him? Good one counselor.
He never said that, you even got the date wrong. It’s a good thing y’all aren’t jurors 😂2015
makes me wonder why no bookkeeper caught this long before too..some people in that office wasn't doing their job regardless of how long it was going on
@@HD_Diesel_Mechanic he IMPLIED it though and that's all that matters!
@@WoundedWarrior2012 he was pointing out that it had been going on since 2015. Pointing out the firm was okay with it until someone didn’t get there $ out of the money hidden from Uncle Sam
Wondering if clients were ever listened to about where their payouts had gone since Alex the thief had stolen all their money? How did this thieving go on and how did it not get discovered. These actions certainly dissolve all trust in attorneys across the country. I’m sure this goes on in many law firms. Where there’s money there is evil practices.🤮🤮🤮👎🏼👎🏼👎🏼👎🏼👎🏼👎🏼
It happens all the time with unethical attorneys. All they do is run thru a retainer and let you go as a client. It's all one big racket. A journalist was talking about how corrupt attorneys are.
That’s a pretty dumb assessment. There are a million reasons her court have given to clients like settlement was less than expected, theres a delay etc. Whats more the firm paid back to clients what this sociopath stole, not because anyone forced them to buy because it was the right thing to do.
@@tektako You should not be calling anyone asking an honest question "dumb" when you explanation is quite dumb and uninformed. The law firm is legally obligated to pay back the clients OR file business bankruptcy! Just because an employee stole the money does not mean the law firm is off the hook in paying the money back because the law firm is legally obligated through vicarious liability (aka the legally responsible for their employee's actions). For example, if you drive a 16 wheeler truck for a store and accidentally hit a car while driving both you the driver and the store, your employer, are liable as well as the store's insurance company.
There are lots of ways clients did not know about their full payouts, especially when the clients themselves are deceased and the lawsuit is for their estate. I think I heard the defense attorney state Alex Murdaugh had power of attorney over a a few of the clients which really means he conned them or their heirs into signing a document that gave him the right to sign for the money on their behalfs. Then there is the fees he stole from the law firm to consider as well. He was stealing on both sides
I know a lawyer like this 🙄🤦🏼♀️ Seems real familiar 🤦🏼♀️🤷🏼♀️
There are bad people in all professions. Knowing one person means nothing 🙄
So glad that lawyer is on the ball.exposing all the lies and fraud.
Dear Maggie knew it all. But greed kept her there