South Carolina law firm reports its attorney Alex Murdaugh for 'misappropriating over $1m' as he enters rehab for 'oxycodone addiction' three months after wife and son were murdered
Law firm Peters Murdaugh Parker Eltzroth and Detrick (PMPED) has reported Alex Murdaugh to the police for his alleged misappropriation of more than $1million in company money.
It is the latest in a string of puzzling events involving the family dynasty after the South Carolina legal heir, whose wife and son were shot dead in June, checked himself into rehab on Monday for what is believed to be an opioid addiction after claiming he had been 'shot in the head' on Saturday.
Murdaugh stepped down from PMPED in Hampton, South Carolina, on Friday after being urged to do so by the firm's bosses.
Details of the alleged fraud have not yet been made public, but the findings of a forensic accounting team hired by the law firm reportedly discovered the misuse of funds amounts to millions of dollars being squandered.
The findings led the law firm, which was founded by Murdaugh's family, to file an official police report.
'It is a ton of money. It is over $1 million,' a legal source told The Raleigh Observer.
Meanwhile, Murdaugh's attorney Jim Griffin confirmed Monday his client was seeking treatment for substance abuse, while law enforcement sources claimed that the disgraced legal heir is addicted to oxycodone.
Alex Murdaugh, 53 (top and bottom right), is in rehab after resigning from his law firm on Friday amid claims he misappropriated millions of dollars
A statement released by the law firm on Monday night said the matter of the 'misappropriated' funds had been referred to law enforcement and the South Carolina Bar.
'A forensic accounting firm will be retained to conduct a thorough investigation,' said the statement, which invited clients with questions to contact the law firm.
In response to further questions, PMPED attorney Danny Henderson said the firm would not be releasing any further statements, choosing instead to keep the details of the forensic accounting firm's findings under wraps.
The day after resigning, Murdaugh, 53, called 911 claiming he had been shot in the head while changing a tire outside his home.
He said it was a drive-by shooting and that he didn't get a glimpse of the assailant, but that it was likely to do with the murders of his wife and son which occurred three months ago and remain unsolved.
Murdaugh was taken to the hospital where he was treated for a 'superficial' wound to the head.
He was released on Monday, spoke to police again about what he claims happened to him and what the murders of his wife and son, and then checked himself into rehab.
It's unclear what he is seeking treatment for or what kind of facility he is in, though law enforcement believe Murdaugh is battling an oxycodone addiction.
Murdaugh released a statement through his attorney Rick Harpootlian, who is also a State Senator, saying he was fighting 'a long battle that has been exacerbated these murders.'
He did not deny the accusations, saying: 'I have made a lot of decisions that I truly regret.'
The law firm issued a statement on Monday night stating: '[Murdaugh] is no longer associated with PMPED in any manner.
'His resignation came after the discovery by PMPED that Alex misappropriated funds in violation of PMPED standards and policies.
'A forensic accounting firm will be retained to conduct a thorough investigation. This is disappointing news for all of us. Rest assured that our firm will deal with this in a straightforward manner.'
It adds to the mystery that has encircled the family since June, when he called 911 claiming he'd returned home to find his wife, Maggie, and son, Paul, shot dead, their bodies dumped by the dog kennels on their sprawling South Carolina estate.
No one has been arrested for those deaths and police have never named any suspects.
Alex Murdagh is pictured, main, with his wife Maggie and son Paul (far left) who were shot dead in an unsolved double murder in June. Murdaugh claims he was shot in the head on Saturday night but survived. It's unclear where his other son, Buster (right) is
The law firm that Murdaugh's family founded has disabled its website on Tuesday after his resignation
They are also yet to establish a motive, but Paul was awaiting trial for the 2019 boating death of Mallory Beach, who died after being thrown from the boat he was drunk driving.
He had also been tied to the death of his housekeeper (who fell down the stairs in 2018) and the unsolved 2015 death of Stephen Smith, whose mother believes was beaten to death in a hate crime because he was gay.
Three days after their deaths, Murdaugh's 81-year-old father Randolph Murdaugh III died 'peacefully' at his home.
Murdaugh released a statement through his attorney, Dick Harpootlian, on Monday morning saying that he was leaving his law firm and entering rehab.
'The murders of my wife and son have caused an incredibly difficult time in my life,' the statement read.
'I have made a lot of decisions that I truly regret.
'I'm resigning from my law firm and entering rehab after a long battle that has been exacerbated these murders.
'I am immensely sorry to everyone I've hurt including my family, friends and colleagues.
'I ask for prayers as I rehabilitate myself and my relationships.'
In a statement to The New York Times, the firm said that it had hired a forensic accounting firm to investigate.
The company also said it had informed the police and the South Carolina Bar, although no arrests have been made.
A source told the paper that the missing cash was in the millions. Further details on an exact amount, how it had gone missing and how its disappearance was uncovered have yet to be shared.
The resignation and allegations that millions were misappropriated provides yet another astonishing twist in a story that has baffled South Carolina, and drawn national attention.
Murdaugh, 53, told police on Saturday that was shot by a gunman in a truck that drove past him as he changed a tire - and then made a U-turn.
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