Alabama’s lawmakers may soon see the imprisonment of one of its longest serving members. The news comes from Birmingham, where WBRC reports that the individual in question is facing federal charges.
According to court records, John Rogers, who had served in the Alabama House for 40 years, pleaded guilty to his involvement in a federal kickback scheme that resulted in the misuse of Jefferson County tax dollars. Unfortunately, his last term was cut short due to this incident.
According to prosecutors, Rogers has violated his plea agreement and should serve his sentence of 14 months in prison instead of on home confinement.
INTRODUCTION
In 2017, new taxes were imposed by the Jefferson County Community Action Fund to aid in the funding of school construction and local student support. The case at hand pertains to the misappropriation of grant money, which was directed by state lawmakers John Rogers and Fred Plump, alongside Rogers’ associate and romantic partner Varrie Johnson Kindall, to Plump’s youth baseball league, Piper Davis. According to court records, Plump would then provide half of those funds back to Rogers and Kindall. Kindall would receive the checks and utilize the money to cover their expenses.
In his sentencing memorandum, prosecutors accused Rogers of stealing $200,000 from the fund intended to help inner city kids learn baseball, instead of fulfilling his promise to use the money for its intended purpose. They claimed that Rogers’ actions not only deprived other worthy charities but also contributed to the downfall of Piper Davis. According to the memorandum, Rogers’ greed led him to support himself and his lover with the fund’s money.
As part of Rogers’ plea agreement, he had to acknowledge his involvement in the conspiracy, which was clearly outlined in the court documents he signed. This included confessing to persuading Kindall to take complete responsibility for the kickback scheme and declaring to investigators that he had no involvement. In return, Rogers promised to pay off Kindall’s mortgage and care for her children if she was sentenced to prison. According to records, Kindall agreed to the plan and informed authorities in May 2023 that Rogers was unaware of her acceptance of kickbacks from Plump.
The defense lawyer for Rogers lodged an objection to the presentence investigative report, which is not publicly available. The attorney stated that the defendant has no recollection of making the promise mentioned in the report. However, the defendant did acknowledge that the information is included in the factual basis of the plea agreement. The defendant also confirmed that he signed the factual basis and admitted in court that it was substantially correct.
According to the government, Rogers’ filing and assertion is a violation of the plea agreement and therefore, he should serve the 14-month sentence in prison.
In response to the accusation that Rogers breached his agreement, his lawyer presented a counter-argument and filed a motion. The motion requests a hearing before the sentencing phase to evaluate whether the plea agreement will be upheld or not.
Rogers is set to be sentenced on July 30th, with the government requesting him to pay nearly $400,000 in restitution and forfeiture fees.
