Alabama Lawmaker Facing Federal Prison Time After Allegedly Breaking Plea Agreement

John Rogers, one the longest serving lawmakers in the Alabama House, is facing federal prison. According to court records, Rogers has breached his long-standing plea agreement for misusing Jefferson County tax dollars during his last term.

Rogers’ term ended after he pleaded guilty to participating in a federal kickback scheme. The case involved the Jefferson County Community Action Fund, which used increased taxes in 2017 to support local students by funding new school construction. Rogers, along with fellow state lawmakers Fred Plump and Varrie Johnson Kindall, exploited the action fund for personal gain.

The state senators directed some of the grant money to Plump’s youth baseball league called Piper Davis over several years. Plump would then “kick back” nearly half of the grant proceeds to Rogers and Kindall. Kindall would go on to cash the money in the form of checks.

For his involvement, Rogers agreed to a plea agreement to serve a 14-month sentence with house arrest.

However, according to court records, Rogers allegedly breached his plea agreement and now prosecutors are pushing for him to finish out his sentenced time in a federal prison.

Prosecutors involved in Rogers’ sentencing memorandum said, “Rather than ensuring the fund’s money was used to help inner city kids learn to play baseball, as he promised would be done, Rogers stole $200,000 to support himself and his lover. Rogers helped destroy Piper Davis and deprived other worthy charities to satiate his greed.”

Rogers’ plea agreement included home confinement and a guilty plea for his role in the kickback scheme. According to court records, Rogers convinced Kindall to “accept full responsibility for the kickback scheme and tell investigators that he was not involved.” In exchange, he promised to pay her mortgage and care for her children while she was imprisoned.

Despite signing the plea agreement, Rogers’ defense attorney later filed an objection and stated, “Defendant does [sic] have any memory of making this promise. However, the defendant does acknowledge that said information is contained in the factual basis of his plea agreement and that he signed the factual basis and admitted in open court that the factual basis was substantially correct.”

Prosecutors pointed out that this objective filing breaches the plea agreement, and that Rogers should instead serve his 14-month sentence in prison instead of at home.

Rogers’ next sentencing hearing is currently scheduled for July 30, and the federal government has already requested Rogers pay nearly “$400,000 in restitution and forfeiture fees.”