From Tribune staff reports
BIRMINGHAM — State Representative John Rogers, D-Birmingham, agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and conspiracy to obstruct justice in connection with the scheme to defraud the Jefferson County Community Service Fund.
The joint announcement came from U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona, Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge Carlton L. Peeples, and Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Acting Special Agent in Charge Demetrius Hardeman.
In a plea agreement filed today in United States District Court, John Westley Rogers, Jr., 83, has agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud and one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice.
Rogers has also agreed to resign from the Alabama House of Representatives. It is not clear when his resignation will take place.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said the charges arise from an investigation of wrongdoing in connection with the Jefferson County Community Service Fund.
In February 2024, Rogers’s former assistant and companion, Varrie Johnson Kindall, pleaded guilty to conspiring with Rogers and former Representative Fred L. Plump, Jr. to defraud the Fund. Plump also pleaded guilty to conspiracy and obstruction of justice charges in June 2023 and resigned from the Alabama House of Representatives.
Rogers could face up to 20 years for the fraud conspiracy and 5 years for the obstruction charge as well as $500,000 in fines.