CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — The banker accused of helping disgraced former South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh hide millions of stolen funds pleaded guilty Friday to federal bank and wire fraud charges.

Russell L. Laffitte, 54, entered the plea after convictions on the same charges were overturned by an appeals court last year.

Laffitte was one of several people investigators said were ensnared by Murdaugh as he stole millions from his law firm and clients in wrongful death and serious injury cases.

Murdaugh is serving a life sentence for the killings of his wife and son in 2021.

On Friday, Laffitte, of Estill, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud, separate wire and bank fraud charges and misapplication of bank funds. Under the terms of the agreement, Laffitte agreed to pay $3.5 million in restitution before his sentencing. If he complies, prosecutors agreed to propose a five-year sentence, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney in South Carolina.

Federal judge Richard M. Gergel will impose a sentence at a later date, according to the release.

“Russell Laffitte and Alex Murdaugh abused their positions of power to victimize people who trusted them,” said Ben Garner, chief of the U.S. Attorney office's criminal division. “As of today, both have pleaded guilty and accepted responsibility for their crimes in federal court."

Laffitte became the court-appointed safekeeper of settlement money for some of Murdaugh’s most vulnerable clients, including children who lost their parents, investigators said.

Prosecutors said Laffitte collected as much as $450,000 in untaxable fees for moving the money and kept other money in his role. He also sent large checks from the settlement accounts to Murdaugh, who was juggling mounting debts he would later blame on an opioid addiction.

Laffitte's 2022 conviction on the same charges was overturned by a federal appeals court last year after the court ruled the trial judge had interviewed a juror during deliberations without lawyers or Laffitte in the room. The court held that the interview without Laffitte or his attorney present violated his constitutional right to an impartial jury.

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