Lauderdale Judge Gil Self indicted on 18 counts

MONTGOMERY - Lauderdale County Circuit Court Judge Gil Self has been indicted on 16 counts of use of office for person gain and for the gain of family, one count of making a false representation to Examiners of Public Accounts and one count of perjury, accordingto Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall's office.

A release from Marshall's office said Sel ffaces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and $30,000 for each of the 16 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 said.

"Throughout the conduct alleged in the indictment, spanning April of 2020 to February 2023, Self was the presiding judge of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit. The prohibited activity for which he was indicted includes the use of over $50,000 of public funds to employ his son and the use of public funds for personal purchases such as a sofa, alcoholic beverages, and eyeglasses," the statement reads. "He is further 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, Michigan. The indictment also charges him with paying himself out of public funds for travel to events he did not 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. Finally, the indictment charges Self with making a false statement while sworn to tell the truth in front of the Grand Jury of Lauderdale County in January 2024.

"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."