Varrie Johnson Kindall to plead guilty on federal charges related to Alabama State Rep. John Rogers kickback scheme

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - Varrie Johnson Kindall, the assistant to Alabama State Representative John Rogers, has agreed to plead guilty to three charges in an alleged kickback scheme investigation.

Kindall will change her plea from not guilty to guilty related to the charges of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and obstruction of justice.

According to court documents, Kindall will repay nearly $200,000 to the Jefferson County Community Service Fund and nearly $50,000 to the IRS.

More than a dozen other charges will be dismissed.

The change of plea hearing is set for Feb. 26 at 2:15 p.m. in the Federal Building located in Tuscaloosa.

Judge L. Scott Coogler will hear the case.

Background on this case:

Rogers is charged with government obstruction alongside co-defendant Varrie Johnson 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.

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