MONTGOMERY – Circuit Judge Gilbert P. Self has been arrested on charges that include allegedly using public funds to pay for a ski trip, beach trip and alcoholic beverages, Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall announced today.
According to a news release from Marshall’s office, Self, 61, of Florence was indicted and arrested on 16 counts of the use of office for personal gain or for the gain of family members, one count of making a false representation to Examiners of Public Accounts, and one count of perjury. Self surrendered to the Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Office.
The indictment, which spans April 2020 to February 2023, said the alleged activity includes the use of over $50,000 of public funds to employ Self’s son and the use of public funds for personal purchases such as a sofa, alcoholic beverages, and eyeglasses. He is also charged with using his office to reimburse himself with public funds for a variety of vacations, including a ski trip to Montana, a beach trip, a cycling trip across three states, and a trip to St. Ignace, Mich.
Self is also charged with paying himself out of public funds for travel to events he did not attend in Reno, Nev.; Duck Key, Fla.; Mackinac Island, Mich.; and Alabama. The indictment further accuses Self of double-dipping for per diem and mileage and making false representations to the Examiners of Public Accounts during an audit.
Finally, the indictment charges Self with making a false statement while sworn to tell the truth in front of a Lauderdale County Grand Jury.
The Attorney General’s Special Prosecutions Division obtained an indictment of Self after an investigation stemming from the audit conducted by the Department of Examiners of Public Accounts into the Lauderdale County Presiding Judge’s Judicial Administration Fund and the Law Library Fund.
If convicted, Self faces a maximum penalty of 20 years of imprisonment and a $30,000 fine for each of the sixteen charges for violating the Ethics Law, which are class B felonies, and up to 10 years of imprisonment; and a $15,000 fine for making a false statement to the Examiners and for perjury, which are class C felonies.
Marshall thanked the Examiners of Public Accounts and the Eleventh Circuit Court for their assistance during the investigation of this matter.
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