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An attorney for a nationally-known South Carolina law firm created two companies and used them to unlawfully divert approximately $1.5 million under the firm’s control to himself, according to federal prosecutors.
The lawyer, William Christopher Swett, 42, of Johns Island, has agreed to plead guilty to four counts of wire fraud and four counts of money laundering, according to a plea agreement. A hearing date for the guilty plea has not been set.
The law firm’s name was not mentioned in an information — a federal charging document — filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in South Carolina.
But Swett worked for a Mt. Pleasant plaintiff’s law firm, according to the information.
Motley Rice is known as a plaintiff’s law firm, and it is located in Mt. Pleasant.
Motley Rice spokesperson Alicia Ward commented briefly, saying in an email, “We await the next steps in this criminal prosecution regarding this former employee.”
Swett, who apparently left the law firm in the spring of 2024, worked on cases involving injuries and deaths from asbestos and mesothelioma, according to the information — and Motley Rice handles those kinds of cases. Successful settlements in those kinds of cases can be sizable.
Authorities did not say how his thefts were discovered.
Swett’s wife, who was not identified by name in the information, was a paralegal who began working on his cases in 2015, according to the information.
“The couple married in 2021, but … Swett and his wife withheld their romantic relationship from the law firm for years,” the information said.
“Swett insisted they withhold their marriage until 2022. If the law firm was aware that … Swett was married to his paralegal, they would have reassigned his wife to another lawyer, and she would not have been able to work on his cases or submit reimbursement requests on his behalf,” the information said.
The information did not charge Swett’s wife with any illegal acts.
Swett’s unlawful scheme to siphon money from the law firm ran from at least 2018 to March 2024, the information said.
It worked this way, the court documents show:
- Swett created two companies, MedBill and LegalAssets, “to appear as legitimate legal service companies” and used them to charge the law firm “for services not performed,” the information said.
- He created fake billing invoices and reimbursement expenses for airplane flights, meals, hotels, depositions as well as client and expert meetings.
- He directed his wife to submit fraudulent reimbursement requests, and he submitted “sham reimbursement requests for fictitious clients.”
- He siphoned and directed settlement funds intended for clients and sent them to his own bank accounts or bank accounts he controlled.
- He submitted false assertions his clients suffered from severe loss and/or death from asbestos-related claims.
- He falsified medical records and related documents to support fraudulent personal injury claims.
- He created fake email accounts and created with himself “on his law firm account to generate false and fraudulent documentation and to further deceive his law firm and conceal his criminal conduct.”
While a case is going on, it was customary for Motley Rice to assume costs and expenses associated with the litigation, the information said.
“Lawyers and other employees at the law firm, including … Swett submitted expense reports to the law firm, seeking reimbursement for case-related expenses paid by the lawyer,” the information said.
“By submitting expense reports for reimbursement, law firm employees acknowledged and attested that the expense report contained legitimate expenses incurred for the law firm and/or the client’s benefit,” it said.
Lawyers in Motley Rice firm are nationally known for their work on landmark tobacco litigation and have been involved in recent years in asbestos and mesothelioma litigation.
The firm’s internet site says, “Since 1979, our attorneys have had a strong record of taking landmark actions for consumers and workers, we began with asbestos and tobacco cases and today represent hurt people and entities in a wide variety of cases.”
The firm’s description of itself on the internet ironically could apply to the firm’s being made Swett’s victim: “Our lives and those of the people we love can change in an instant. Whether you were blindsided by an unexpected diagnosis or are finding your way following a devastating accident or financial loss, we’re here to support you.”
Swett is exposed to a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for the offenses, according to his plea agreement and has also agreed to pay full restitution in an amount to be determined at a later date. However, white collar criminals rarely serve anywhere near the maximum penalty.
In May 2024, Swett was placed on interim suspension and his law license was suspended by the S.C. Supreme Court. No reason was given for the sanction.
According to avvo.com, an online legal marketplace, Swett is a graduate of the Citadel and went to the University of South Carolina Law School. His practice areas included wrongful death as well as defective and dangerous products.
Swett’s attorney, Nathan Williams of Charleston and a former federal prosecutor, said in a text his client “for a long time … was struggling with personal challenges and, in that time, made some poor and regretful decisions. Since then, he has made significant changes in his life, and the plea agreement filed today reflects part of his efforts to take accountability for his past decisions and actions.
“We look forward to future hearings where we can more fully explain all of this in greater detail,” Williams said.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Limehouse is the federal prosecutor handling the case, which was investigated by the FBI’s Columbia field office.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
This story was originally published February 24, 2026 at 11:11 AM.
John Monk has covered courts, crime, politics, public corruption, the environment and other issues in the Carolinas for more than 40 years. A U.S. Army veteran who covered the 1989 American invasion of Panama, Monk is a former Washington correspondent for The Charlotte Observer. He has covered numerous death penalty trials, including those of the Charleston church killer, Dylann Roof, serial killer Pee Wee Gaskins and child killer Tim Jones. Monk’s hobbies include hiking, books, languages, music and a lot of other things.
