From 2018 to 2024, a now-suspended personal injury attorney allegedly stole $1.5 million from his law firm and clients, according to public records. The Motley Rice litigation attorney pleaded guilty to four counts of wire fraud and four counts of money laundering in February 2026. The Post & Courier had the story:
“In a statement relayed by his attorney, William Christopher Swett said he ‘made some poor and regretful decisions’ while dealing with personal challenges. The plea agreement, his lawyer added, ‘reflects part of his efforts to take accountability for his past decisions and actions.’
Prosecutors claim that Swett ‘submitting sham reimbursement requests for fake clients with made-up personal injury and death claims that he deceived his firm into believing were real clients by submitting false medical documents and fake email exchanges.’
Court documents indicate he ‘allegedly siphoned his client’s funds into accounts associated with two businesses that he established and did not disclose the nature of his relationship with, records allege.’ He also reportedly ‘directed his wife, who had been his paralegal since 2015, to request reimbursement for illegitimate expenses and services he didn’t perform’”
Prosecutors assert that Swett tried to hide the scheme by moving thousands of dollars between various accounts. His law license was suspended in 2024 and he is facing a possible maximum sentence of 25 years in prison, although the government has agreed to pursue a lighter sentence if he adheres to the plea deal and pays restitution. A sentencing hearing has yet to be scheduled.
If that were not enough, “Swett has also run into trouble in state court. In October 2025, a judge ordered him to pay more than $58,000 in debt to the American Express National Bank, which sued.”
Situations like this underscore the necessity for more robust internal controls, more transparent conflict disclosures, and quicker identification of financial wrongdoing within law firms, particularly in those dealing with at-risk clients. It’s crucial to reform this system that has been exploited for too long by opportunistic personal injury attorneys.