By Sammy Fretwell and Jake Shore
From The State (Columbia, S.C.)
COLUMBIA, S.C.—A judge set a $1 million bond Friday for fired Hampton County banker Russell Laffitte, who is accused of scheming with suspended attorneys Alex Murdaugh and Cory Fleming to defraud legal clients of settlement money.
Circuit Judge Alison Renee Lee set the bond at a virtual hearing in Richland County, requiring that Laffitte remain on house arrest in Hampton and not leave the state.
S.C. Attorney General’s Office prosecutor Creighton Waters urged Lee to set a bond high enough to make sure Laffitte, who owns shares in Palmetto State Bank, did not flee South Carolina. An attorney for victims of the alleged crimes, Justin Bamberg, also urged a high bond be set.
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