Criminal Justice
Former Ala. Probate Judge Gets 3 Years for Stealing $1.8M from Estate
Lawyers for Sherrie Phillips were hoping the former Covington County, Ala., probate judge would get probation.
But, saying that she had violated the public trust and hadn’t expressed remorse for stealing $1.8 million from an estate with no heirs, the judge sentenced her to 10 years and is requiring that she serve three years, reports WSFA 12, a local NBC affiliate.
“How can you be remorseful when you maintain you haven’t deprived anybody of anything?” asks her attorney, Riley Powell. The Alabama judge, who apparently maintains her innocence and plans an appeal, was released on a $20,000 appeal bond after her sentencing yesterday.
Powell says Phillips could lose all of her retirement benefits and be disbarred if the conviction is upheld.
