Representative John Rogers home after week in Cullman County Jail

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - Representative John Rogers is home after spending a week in jail for violating his bond conditions in an alleged kickback scheme.

The judge ordered more stringent conditions upon release including no contact with anyone involved in his case and he’s prohibited from speaking with anyone about his case except his defense team. The judge also restricted all direct and indirect communication between Rogers and his codefendant Varrie Johnson Kindall, who was Rogers primary caregiver until his bond was revoked a week ago. Rogers must now live in his home in Birmingham alone, with the exception of those providing medical care.

During a hearing last week, the judge found Rogers violated his bond conditions by contacting and intimidating a witness and discussing the case with Kindall.

As for whether a week in jail has opened Rogers’ eyes, his attorney John Robbins said Rogers has taken this case seriously since day one.

“You know our position, we respectfully disagree with the judge’s findings but we respect her findings,” Robbins added. “We’ve made very clear our position on the alleged violation but I don’t expect us to be meeting back here at the court on another motion like this.”

Rogers thanked the judge for agreeing to his release, saying it would make a positive impact on his life. Rogers age, health concerns, and need for care was central to the defense’s fight to reinstate his bond.

“He’s 82 years old and has some health issues coming off hip surgery,” Robbins explained. “It’s not the Holiday Inn,” he said of the jail. “It was pretty tough, [Rogers] survived but he speaks highly of the people at the Cullman County Jail who tried to make his stay as comfortable as possible.”

Rogers is indicted on federal obstruction of justice and obstruction of justice by bribery counts. Court records allege Rogers attempted to bribe an unnamed person, who’s listed as Individual #1 in the indictment, to give false information to FBI and IRS agents in exchange for money for their organization. It’s something Rogers strongly denies.

Background

Rogers is charged with government obstruction alongside Kindall in a superseding indictment. Kindall faces 25 counts ranging from mail and wire fraud to obstruction of justice and money laundering.

This indictment stems from the same investigation that led former Representative Fred Plump Jr. to resign from the Alabama House of Representatives earlier this year. In June 2023, Plump pleaded guilty to an information charge of conspiracy.

Court records allege the three defendants were involved in a kickback scheme using tax dollars from the Jefferson County Community Service Fund, created to support local organizations.

As a member of the Alabama House of Representatives, Rogers could direct those funds to organizations of his choice. Court records show Rogers was allocated $500,000 from 2018 through 2022. The indictment cites Rogers directed nearly $400,000 of those funds to Piper Davis, Plump’s youth baseball organization. In turn, Plump gave almost $200,000 to Kindall, which she deposited in personal accounts.

“It was part of the conspiracy that John Rogers, with defendant Varrie Johnson Kindall’s assistance, would and did recommend that most of defendant John Rogers’ allotment of Fund money be paid to Piper Davis each fiscal year. Further, defendant Varrie Johson Kindall would and did require that Fred Lee Plump, Jr. pay kickbacks to her from Fund money directed to Piper Davis by defendant John Rogers,” the superseding indictment states.

According to court records, when Rogers and Kindall learned about the federal investigation into the fraud scheme, they attempted to obstruct justice by offering an unnamed person grant money for their organization in exchange for giving false information to federal agents.

Both were recently granted an extension to prepare for trial, which was previously set for this fall.

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