Criminal Justice
Former Motley Rice attorney pleads guilty to $1.5M money laundering, fraud scheme
A suspended South Carolina personal injury attorney pleaded guilty Monday to stealing at least $1.5 million from his law firm and clients, according to court records. (Image from Shutterstock)
A suspended South Carolina personal injury attorney pleaded guilty Monday to stealing at least $1.5 million from his law firm and clients, according to court records.
Lawyer William Christopher Swett, 42, of Johns Island, South Carolina, litigated asbestos and mesothelioma cases at Motley Rice in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, during which time he “made some poor and regretful decision,” according to defense attorney Nathan Williams.
A plea agreement includes accusations of four counts of wire fraud and four counts of money laundering between 2018 and 2024, according to coverage by Bloomberg Law and Law.com.
Allegations against Swett include falsifying medical records and fabricating death claims. He also allegedly transferred his client’s funds into his own illegitimate legal service companies, billing the firm and its clients for fake services, according to a filing Monday in the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina.
The South Carolina Supreme Court suspended Swett’s law license in 2024. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, according to a Feb. 24 press release from the Department of Justice.
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