Another codefendant sentenced for misappropriating Jefferson County tax dollars

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - Varrie Johnson will spend three years in federal prison for her involvement in two fraud schemes, including misappropriating Jefferson County tax dollars and collecting her mother’s pension following her death.

Johnson worked for longtime state representative John Rogers as a legislative liaison and personally as his girlfriend and caretaker. As a member of the legislature, Rogers allocated funds from the Jefferson County Community Action Fund, which was levied to help local students.

According to court records, Rogers approached now-former lawmaker Fred Plump to apply for a grant for Plump’s youth baseball league, Piper Davis. In turn for directing the funds, Plump was asked to kick back half the money to Rogers and his associate Varrie Johnson.

“She loved him [Rogers] and was willing to do a lot of things that she shouldn’t have as a result, he didn’t have her best interest in mind,” Johnson’s attorney Courtney Murtha said to the judge.

The government agreed, calling Johnson the ‘go between’ for Plump and Rogers, filling out the grant applications and processing the paperwork.

“She was loyal to a thieving legislator rather than the public,” stated Assistant U.S. Attorney George Martin.

Johnson will report to prison on Aug. 26. She’s been ordered to pay back nearly $300,000 dollars in restitution. Plump was sentenced to a year in prison, he will report the same day.

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