Lowcountry Attorney Charged With Wire Fraud and Money Laundering in Alleged $1.5 Million Scheme

Published Nov. 6, 2026. Case status is current as of that date.

Personal-injury clients and law firms both depend on honest billing. On Feb. 24, 2026, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina announced that William Christopher Swett, 42, of Johns Island, has been charged with wire fraud and money laundering for allegedly defrauding his Mt. Pleasant employer and clients of at least $1.5 million [1].

Status: Charged. An indictment or complaint is only an allegation. Swett is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court [1].

What the charging documents allege

According to charging documents summarized by prosecutors [1]:

1. Swett worked as a personal-injury attorney at a Mt. Pleasant firm representing people in death, injury, and other civil claims.
2. From at least 2018 through 2024, he allegedly set up legal-services companies and expensed the firm and clients for services not performed and for inflated or illegitimate expenses, and withheld funds.

The person charged

William Christopher Swett, 42, Johns Island, South Carolina. Personal-injury attorney. Charged with wire fraud and money laundering; presumed innocent [1].

Case status (as of Nov. 6, 2026)

Defendant	Court	Status	Source
William Christopher Swett, 42, Johns Island, S.C.	U.S. District Court, D.S.C.	Charged with wire fraud and money laundering (announced Feb. 24, 2026); alleged ≥$1.5M; presumed innocent	[1]

Statuses can change. Charges are allegations.

Sources

1. U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of South Carolina, “Lowcountry Attorney Charged with Defrauding $1.5M from Mt. Pleasant Law Firm and Clients,” Feb. 24, 2026. https://www.justice.gov/usao-sc/pr/lowcountry-attorney-charged-defrauding-15m-mt-pleasant-law-firm-and-clients