| ► Former Judge Dorothy Pertilla of Macon, GA; ethical leprechaun |
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Former Judge Dorothy Pertilla of Macon, GA; ethical leprechaun
While sitting as a Magistrate in Macon, Judge Dorothy Pertilla was the subject of misconduct charges by the Georgia Judicial Qualifications Commission.
Dorothy, former Judge Selinda Handsford and Court clerk Janet Gray were indicted in 2004 and charged with accepting so-called “love offerings” – cash payments from couples married in Magistrate Court. Such fees, when charged during regular court business hours are illegal.
As word of the illegal conduct became public, DA Kelly Burke lodged criminal charges against Dorothy and the other two court employees. Court clerk Gray was eventually sentenced to four years probation.
Pursuant to established judicial law that judges are “held to a lower standard of conduct” than a court clerk, criminal charges against Dorothy and Judge Handsford were dropped.
DA Burke said his decision to drop the criminal charges against Dorothy – one count of violation of oath of office and several counts of theft by taking – was based on his understanding that Dorothy would be suspended “without pay” while the matter was pending before the Judicial Commission.
Burke said that Chief Magistrate Judge William C. Randall told him that Dorothy’s suspension was “without pay” and that in his letter to the Commission he recommended that Dorothy be removed from the bench.
The truth of the matter is that Judge Pertilla was in fact suspended “with pay.” As a result, Dorothy was able to hose the taxpayers for about $100,000 over a 21-month period of time. This was terrible punishment for Dorothy, right?
As a consequence of her misconduct, the enablers sitting on the Georgia Supreme Court punished Dorothy by gifting her with a complimentary reprimand.
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