Former lawmaker sentenced to 13 months in federal prison

Alabama’s longest serving lawmaker will spend a little more than a year in federal prison. 

Rep. John Rogers, who served the 52nd House district from 1982 until earlier this year, was sentenced Tuesday to 13 months for his role in a scheme to steal money meant for Jefferson County nonprofits. Rogers, 83, is also facing three years of supervised release and repaying more than $197,000. 

Outside of the federal courthouse in Birmingham on Tuesday, Rogers, walking with a cane, told reporters that he was fine. Assistant U.S. Attorney George Martin said he felt District Court Judge Scott Coogler had imposed a fair sentence. Prosecutors had recommended a 14-month sentence. 

In light of Rogers’ age, his long service and his guilty plea in the case, Coogler told the former lawmaker that he would recommend that Rogers serve his time in a federal prison near Birmingham, so his daughters could visit. 

Rogers pleaded guilty to two conspiracy charges – conspiracy to commit mail or wire fraud and conspiracy to obstruct justice – as part of a scheme in which he, a former assistant and a Fred Plump, prior to becoming a state representative, redirected about $400,000 in funds that should have gone to nonprofits in Rogers’ district. 

According to court filings, the money was part of the legislature’s community service fund – an annual amount given to each lawmaker to disperse to deserving nonprofits and action groups within their districts – and was earmarked by Rogers for a youth baseball organization that served underprivileged kids in HD52. 

Plump operated the league, and he promptly returned roughly half of the money Rogers directed to the organization to an account managed by Rogers’ assistant, Varrie Johnson Kindall. Kindall then placed the money into an account for use by herself and Rogers. 

Plump and Kindall also pleaded guilty for their roles. Plump received a 12-month sentence and Kindall received a three-year sentence for this case and a case in which she pleaded guilty for stealing retirement benefits from her deceased parents. 

Rogers has until September to report to prison. 

Tuesday’s sentencing brought to a close one of the more colorful and consequential legislative tenures in Alabama history. Rogers was a fixture in the House for more than 40 years, often finding himself the center of controversy. He also attracted the attention of state and federal investigators numerous times, but until earlier this year, he maintained his innocence and stayed a step ahead.