Eleventh Judicial Circuit Judge Gilbert P. Self was indicted on a charge of improperly using public funds. (Screenshots via Huntsville, Alabama, ABC affiliate WAAY-TV/YouTube)
An Alabama judge took $50,000 in public money for beach and ski trip vacations, furniture, alcohol, and eyeglasses, authorities allege.
Eleventh Judicial Circuit Judge Gilbert P. Self, 61, faces 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, officials said. Self surrendered to the Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Office, state Attorney General Steve Marshall said in a news release.
Authorities allege from April 2020 to February 2023, when Self was the presiding judge of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit, he reimbursed himself with money for various vacations, including a ski trip to Montana, a cycling trip across three states, and a trip to St. Ignace, Michigan, authorities said. He allegedly used public funds to travel to events he did not actually attend in Reno, Nevada; Duck Key, Florida; Mackinac Island, Michigan; 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,” the news release said.
He’s also accused of making a false statement in front of a county grand jury this month. He was indicted after an investigation stemming from an audit, officials said.
The state audit showed Self improperly used $84,838 for personal items, including electronics, eyeglasses, handguns, ammunition, kitty litter, car wash supplies, flowers, framing, golf items and furniture not located on courthouse property. He was also accused of hiring his son as a law clerk and paying bonuses to a former judicial assistant and other contract employee wages without timesheets. Most of the money was repaid.
“The Presiding Circuit Judge failed to provide adequate documentation or justification to support all expenditures,” the audit said. “As a result, the Presiding Circuit Judge was asked to repay $112,776.56 in unallowable or undocumented expenditures.”
Self told the Alabama Daily News that the audit examined activities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I agree the proper bookkeeping during COVID was really virtually nonexistent,” Self said, according to the outlet. “It was sloppy. We didn’t follow acceptable accounting principles, primarily because there’s no one trained or experienced in those principles here that were in charge of the books during that period of time. But the buck stops with me and I accept full responsibility for the mistakes that were made.”
The paper reported him saying the guns were for courthouse protection, and he thought court work would be good for his son.
“I thought he’d be here several months and then go on to law school, then the pandemic hit,” Self said, the paper reported.
If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison and a $30,000 fine for each of the charges for violating the ethics law and up to 10 years and a $15,000 fine for making a false statement to the examiners and for perjury, authorities said.
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