A California judge awaiting murder charges has still been receiving his I-funded six-figure salary, according to court records.
Jeffrey Ferguson, a superior court judge in Orange County, made more than $220,000 from his salary in 2023. On top of this, he also received more than $22,000 in benefits, according to records obtained by the Orange County Register.
Ferguson has pleaded not guilty after he was accused of shooting and killing his wife, Sheryl Ferguson, in front of their son on Aug. 3, 2023. His attorney denied that the shooting was intentional, referring to it instead as "a terribly unfortunate accidental discharge," as reported by the East Bay Times.
Prosecutors said that Ferguson's son alleged that his father was drunk at the time of the incident, and that his parents had gotten into an argument before his father reportedly pulled out a gun and shot his mother, as reported by Fox News.
If a judge is accused of a felony, they are "disqualified from acting as a judge," however this "comes without loss of a salary," according to the California Constitution, as reported by the Register. The judge would be suspended without pay if he is convicted of the crime.
Ferguson was initially released on bail, but is now back in jail after he allegedly lied about consuming alcohol, which was a condition of his release. Another judge has since doubled Ferguson's bail to $2 million, and if he posts it, he will be barred from any restaurant or store that sells alcohol, the Times reported.
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