Out-of-town judge appointed in case of Lauderdale judge misusing public money
LAUDERDALE COUNTY, Ala. (WHNT) — Retired Judge Tim Jolley has been appointed in the case of a Lauderdale County Circuit Judge indicted for misusing court funds.
The Alabama Administrative Office of Courts told News 19 Monday that Jolley had been appointed by Alabama Chief Justice Tom Parker to preside in the case of Judge Gilbert Self who was indicted last week.
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Self was indicted and arrested last week for charges of using his office for personal gain, making a false representation to state auditors and perjury.
Jolley served as a circuit judge in Marshall County from 1999 until 2017 when he retired to work in private practice. Since then, he has been called upon by the Alabama Supreme Court to preside over cases multiple times including presiding over the appeal of former Limestone County Sheriff Mike Blakely.
Self was indicted for behavior that investigators say took place from April 2020 to February 2023, while he was presiding judge in Lauderdale County. He is accused of using public funds for personal purchases as well as using over $50,000 of public funds to employ his son.
The indictment claims Self used public funds for the following:
A double reclining console sofa
To pay Hobby Lobby to frame his son’s college diploma
Two grab and go beers from Hotel Indigo, and/or a glass of Gramona, Tito’s, a Cahaba Blonde and a chocolate martini from Chez Fonfon
Prescription eyeglasses
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The Alabama Attorney General’s Office said Self is also charged with using public funds for personal trips while also using public funds to pay himself for travel to events he did not attend.
Self has maintained his innocence in the case, saying that he acknowledged “honest but correctable mistakes,” were made in the accounts he managed while presiding judge.
He made a full statement last week:
“From the first time the auditors brought these issues to my attention, I have acknowledged honest but correctable mistakes were made in the two bank accounts I administered as Presiding Judge. These mistakes happened over a period of time when our court system was under immense pressure due to the pandemic and being understaffed and overloaded. At no time did I intend to violate any law. Lauderdale County is not out any money and all of the money in question is in those accounts.
Nothing can change the mistakes I made and my embarrassment and regret are painful realities. Thankfully my wife, sons, family, friends, and church have been steadfast in their support. I look forward to having the citizens of our community review what happened and consider the unprecedented circumstances surrounding many of these events.”
Judge Gil Self
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His legal counsel also released a statement last week saying in part the Self had repaid all the money in question in the case.
“Judge Self voluntarily repaid the funds spent on these honest and correctable mistakes,” The statement said. “To the extent those expenses were monies spent on or for the benefit of other people, Judge Self did not go to those people to seek reimbursement – he paid them all himself. Judge Self, along with Judge Graves and Judge Powell, implemented improvements to the accounting and recordkeeping practices for the accounts at issue to prevent reoccurrence.”
If Self is convicted, the attorney general’s office said he 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 and up to 10 years of imprisonment and a $15,000 fine for making a false statement to the Examiners and for perjury.
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