A Lauderdale County jury on Friday found suspended Judge Gil Self guilty of 17 of the 18 charges for which he had been on trial the past three weeks.
Self was sitting in the defendant’s chair as the accused in the same courtroom where he had sat for years in the presiding judge’s chair.
Sentencing is set for December 17 before retired Marshall County Judge Tim Jolley, who was assigned to try the case.
Self was charged with perjury, using his office for personal gain, and 16 counts of misusing more than $140,000 in public funds.
Verdicts at a glance
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Use of official position for personal gain (16 counts total)
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Guilty — intentional (felony): 14 counts.
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Guilty — non-intentional (misdemeanor): 1 count (alcohol purchase).
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Not guilty: 1 count (employment of Self’s son).
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False representation to Examiners of Public Accounts: Guilty (felony).
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Perjury before the Lauderdale County grand jury: Guilty (felony).
Selected counts
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Purchases with court funds: couch for home, son’s college diploma frame, prescription eyeglasses — Guilty (mix of felony/misdemeanor).
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Travel/vacations reimbursed as court business:
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Trips listed in the indictment included Reno, Nevada; Duck Key, Florida; and Mackinac Island, Michigan — Guilty.
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Evidence also addressed a bike trip across Ohio, Kentucky and Pennsylvania charged against court accounts — Guilty.
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The jury deliberated for about five hours on Thursday before returning on Friday with the verdict.
The defense argued that Self lacked proper training in handling public funds, asserting that all expenses were processed correctly and any mistakes were unintentional.
They argued that Self had repaid all the money questioned in the audit and that two other judges who are repaying funds cited in the audit were not criminally charged.
The lead defense attorney, Bryce Graham, Jr., died of a heart attack last Sunday after cross-examining prosecution witnesses the previous Thursday and Friday.
Jim Zig Zeigler is a contributing writer for Yellowhammer News. His beat includes the positive and colorful about Alabama – her people, events, groups and prominent deaths. He is a former State Auditor and Public Service Commissioner. You can reach him at [email protected]
