https://abcnews4.com/news/local/mt-pleasant-attorney-pleads-guilty-to-federal-wire-fraud-money-laundering-charges

CHARLESTON , S.C. (WCIV) — A personal injury lawyer from a Mount Pleasant law firm pleaded guilty Monday to federal wire fraud and money laundering charges.

42-year-old William Christopher Swett faces four counts each of wire fraud and money laundering after an FBI investigation uncovered his personal enrichment scheme set to the tune of at least $1.5 million, according to federal prosecutors.

Court documents allege that Swett, in his capacity as an attorney primarily focused on asbestos and mesothelioma litigation, carried out the scheme between 2018 and 2024.

He reportedly established an LLC and limited partnership (LP) to expense the Mount Pleasant firm he worked for and his clients for services that were not performed. Both companies, MedBill Solutions LLC and LegalAssets LP, had registered addresses associated to a PO Box registered to Swett, and he did not disclose his association with or financial interest in either. His mother was listed as the registered agent of the LLC, while his wife was listed as a general partner of the LP.

Swett got married in 2021, but his wife began working as a paralegal for him in 2015, according to federal documentation. The two reportedly did not disclose their relationship to the law firm they worked at until they disclosed their marriage in late 2022. She was allegedly directed by her husband to submit fraudulent reimbursement requests, and he reportedly submitted "sham reimbursement requests for fictitious clients," manufactured fraudulent death and personal injury claims, and siphoned settlement funds intended for his clients.

Charging documents also allege Swett created fake email accounts and communicated with himself on his law firm account and falsified medical records to support the fraudulent personal injury claims.

The plea agreement filed Monday states Swett agreed to plea guilty to all eight counts he faces. He could see a maximum of 20 years behind bars and a fine of up to $250,000, along with restitution and three years of supervision following his release from prison.

The firm Swett worked for is not identified by name in court documents, but states it was based in Mount Pleasant. An archived biography page appears from a Sept. 29, 2023 snapshot on the Internet Archive listing him as a trial lawyer for the formidable firm Motley Rice, which is headquartered on Bridgeside Boulevard. He does not appear on the current version of the firm's website.

The archived page states that prior to joining Motley Rice, Swett worked as a law clerk for the very district court that is hearing his case, the US District Court for the District of South Carolina, under the Honorable R. Bryan Harwell. The page states he was named a Top 100 Trial Lawyer in South Carolina between 2013 and the present. Additionally, quotes of his have appeared in national and local print media like the Wall Street Journal and The Post and Courier, he was a "frequent" speaker at national conferences, and volunteered as a special prosecutor for the South Carolina Attorney General's Office, according to the snapshot.