By SPEAKIN’ OUT NEWS
FLORENCE, Ala. — Former Lauderdale County Circuit Judge Gil Self was found guilty Friday morning on 17 charges related to the misuse of public funds following a state audit that uncovered more than $140,000 in improper spending.
Jurors determined that between July 2019 and July 2023, Self diverted money from accounts meant to support court operations for personal and unauthorized expenses. According to court records, the total misused amount later exceeded $146,000.
The state audit revealed that Self used the funds to hire his son as a law clerk and pay him without documentation of hours worked. He also purchased guns, furniture, and other personal items with court money.
In a 2023 interview with the Alabama Daily News, Self admitted that financial oversight in his office fell apart during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Proper bookkeeping during COVID was virtually non-existent,” Self said at the time. “We didn’t follow acceptable accounting principles because no one was trained to manage the books during that period. But the buck stops with me, and I accept full responsibility.”
Prosecutors argued that the misuse of funds went beyond sloppy recordkeeping, calling it a deliberate breach of public trust.
Self, who previously served as a respected figure in the north Alabama judicial circuit, now faces sentencing in the coming weeks.