After defense lawyer dies during trial, judge convicted for using public funds for vacations, personal purchases

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After protection lawyer dies throughout trial, decide…

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After protection lawyer dies throughout trial, decide convicted for utilizing public funds for holidays, private purchases

By Debra Cassens Weiss

November 13, 2025, 10:54 am CST

A former Alabama decide accused of utilizing his workplace for private achieve and mendacity about it was convicted final week on 17 of 18 counts towards him.

The 17 counts that led to conviction alleged that Choose Gilbert P. Self Sr., the previous presiding decide of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit in Lauderdale County, Alabama, used public cash for private purchases.

Prosecutors mentioned Self used public funds to pay for a sofa, alcoholic drinks, eyeglasses and holidays—together with snowboarding, biking and seaside journeys. He was additionally accused of utilizing public cash for tuition at conferences that he didn’t attend and making an attempt to flee accountability by mendacity to a grand jury and public auditors.

Alabama Legal professional Normal Steve Marshall introduced the decision Nov. 7.

Publications with protection embody WAFF, AL.com, WAAY and the Alabama Each day Information.

Self was acquitted on one depend based mostly on an allegation that he employed his son as a legislation clerk and paid him with out correct documentation. Self claimed that he had permission to pay his son by a legislation library fund, WAFF experiences.

One among Self’s protection legal professionals, Bryce Graham Jr., scored factors throughout cross-examination of a authorities witness concerning the wage for Self’s son, Yellowhammer Information experiences. Graham requested whether or not Self had repaid the $140,000 in disputed funds and whether or not that included the wage paid to Self’s son. The witness mentioned it was true.

Graham requested whether or not that meant that the federal government acquired 2½ years of free work from Self’s son. The witness answered within the affirmative.

Graham, 66, died of an obvious coronary heart assault after the second week of trial.

The trial lasted three weeks, in line with the state lawyer basic. Sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 17.

Sixteen of the 17 convictions are felonies. Intentional use of public workplace for private achieve has a possible sentence of two to twenty years in jail. Making false statements carries a possible sentence of 1 yr and sooner or later to 10 years in jail.

Self had beforehand blamed the issues on sloppy bookkeeping through the COVID-19 pandemic, in line with the Alabama Each day Information.

One other protection lawyer, Mark White, advised WAFF that he and his shopper have been “clearly disillusioned” by the decision.

White identified that the acquittal associated to the employment of Self’s son concerned the most important quantity of disputed cash.

White hinted that there could be an attraction.

“This isn’t the ending,” he advised WAFF. “Frankly, on the authorized aspect, it’s the second quarter. It’s not even halftime but.”

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