Birmingham lawmaker pleads guilty to fraud, resigns from Legislature

Rep. John Rogers pleads guilty, agrees to home confinement and restitution

In a surprising turn of events, esteemed Birmingham lawmaker, Rep. John Rogers, D-Birmingham, has reached a plea deal in a case alleging diversion of public funds meant for a youth baseball league. As per the U.S. Attorney’s Office at the Northern District of Alabama, Rogers, 83, has agreed to plead guilty to two charges – one count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud, and one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice.

Plea deal leads to Rogers’ resignation

The plea deal, which was filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama, consists of Rogers’ agreement to not only plead guilty, but also to step down from his prestigious position in the Alabama House of Representatives.

In the aftermath of these allegations, Rogers is bound by the plea agreement to serve 14 months in home confinement and pay over $197,000 in restitution. Details about the proceedings shared by John Robbins, Rogers’ attorney, suggested that he was not in a position to comment as the deal had just been established.

Similar pleas from ex-associates

This agreement trails similar pleas by Rogers’ former associate, Varrie Johnson Kindall, and former Rep. Fred L. Plump, D-Fairfield. Both have admitted to their roles in defrauding the Jefferson County Community Service Fund in the past.

In his tenure as the longest-serving Representative in the Alabama House, Rogers was allocated roughly $500,000 from the fund between the fiscal years 2018 and 2022. Allegedly, Rogers channeled a large segment of these resources to the Piper Davis Youth Baseball League, led by Plump, who then generated kickbacks, an estimated $200,000 of which ended up with Rogers and Kindall.

The trio accused of more

Further allegations in the indictment claim Rogers, Kindall and Plump submitted untruthful information to the Committee concerning the use of fund money for the Piper Davis League, thereby compounding the fraud. Additionally, the trio is accused of obstructing justice by trying to influence a witness and giving false details to investigators.

If convicted, the maximum penalties for these very serious charges are up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, and up to an additional 5 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for conspiracy to obstruct justice.

Trend of Guilt and Resignation in Alabama House

Intriguingly, Rogers is the third state representative to plead guilty to a criminal charge and resign from the Alabama House in the last 10 months. His resignation follows that of Plump in May and Former Rep. David Cole, R-Madison, who also resigned in August and pleaded guilty to voting at a polling station where he was not authorized to vote.