Federal Prosecutors Seek 14-Month Sentence for Ex-Alabama Lawmaker in Corruption Case

Federal prosecutors have recommended a 14-month imprisonment sentence for former Alabama state Representative John Rogers after his guilty plea to charges of diverting state grant funds.

John Rogers, an 83-year-old Democrat from Birmingham, was the longest-serving member of the Alabama House of Representatives until his resignation in March. He stepped down after agreeing to plead guilty to conspiracy and obstruction of justice charges. The charges stem from what federal prosecutors described as a kickback scheme that diverted funds intended for community projects in Jefferson County.

“Rogers was entrusted with the legislative prerogative of doling out $100,000 of taxpayer money annually for charitable purposes. But he was charitable only to himself and the woman who supported him personally and professionally. Time and again Rogers abused the trust inherent in the office he held,” federal prosecutors stated in a sentencing memo filed this week.

State Representative Fred L. Plump, Jr. and Varrie Johnson Kindall, Rogers’ former assistant, also pleaded guilty to related charges. Between 2018 and 2022, Rogers directed $400,000 to a youth sports organization run by Plump. Federal prosecutors allege that Rogers and Kindall instructed Plump to return $200,000 of that money to them.

“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,” prosecutors wrote.

Prosecutors are advocating for Rogers to be sentenced to 14 months’ imprisonment. It remains unclear whether they are seeking for Rogers to serve his time in prison or under home confinement. The initial plea agreement suggested that prosecutors would recommend 14 months of home confinement, which they said would serve as a “powerful forewarning to his former colleagues and future officeholders.”

Rogers is scheduled to be sentenced in federal court in Birmingham on July 26. He was first elected to the Alabama Legislature in 1982.