State Rep. John Rogers remains in jail
State Representative John Rogers (D-Birmingham) was in court in Birmingham on Thursday for a hearing on his alleged violations of his bond. Judge Staci Cornelius sent him back to jail in Cullman, one of the few county jails that houses federal prisoners. Rogers has been accused of violating the terms of his bond by contacting witnesses in his corruption trial. Rogers has been indicted by the U.S. Department of Justice with obstruction of justice, accusing the 82-year-old state legislator of attempting to bribe witnesses with state grant dollars if they would lie to federal investigators in the ongoing federal corruption probe and has been charged with obstruction of justice. As part of the agreement of the terms of his bond, Rogers is not supposed to be contacting the witnesses in the case. Federal prosecutors accuse Rogers of violating the terms of his bond by twice attempting to contact witnesses on Facetime. Rogers also identified the previously anonymous witness, James Stewart, in a radio interview, further angering Judge Cornelius. Judge Cornelius has ordered Rogers to remain in jail and has set another hearing for Monday. Rogers maintains his innocence. Rogers’ longtime legislative assistant, Varrie Johnson Kindall, has been charged with 21 counts in the ongoing corruption probe. Rogers alleged obstruction charges are related to that ongoing investigation. Rogers reportedly lives with Kindall in Chelsea in Shelby County. According to his September indictment, between 2018 and 2022, Rogers was authorized to spend $500,000 from the Jefferson County Community Service Fund. Rogers was supposed to use that for Jefferson County programs. Rogers, however, appropriated $400,000 of the $500,000 under his control to the Piper Davis Youth Baseball League. The League was run by Fred Plump – age 76. Plump, who was elected to the Alabama House of Representatives last year, instead has admitted in his guilty pleading that he then paid $200,000 of that money in illegal kickbacks to Kindall. Kindall reportedly was romantically involved with both Rogers and Plump. In May Plump pleaded guilty, resigned from his office, and has agreed to cooperate with federal prosecutors. Travis Hendrix (D) has been elected to represent Plump’s House District 55 seat. Rogers still represents House District 52 – both districts are in Jefferson County. Rogers was first elected to the Alabama House of Representatives in 1982. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Birmingham Rep. John Rogers arrested for violating witness contact order
Alander Rocha, Alabama Reflector Rep. John Rogers, D-Birmingham, was taken into custody Monday for contacting another person connected to his indictment on obstruction of justice charges. Magistrate Judge Staci G. Cornelius told Rogers, that she “very plainly” and “very clearly” told Rogers that he could not contact anyone associated with the case. She said that when she asked Rogers if he understood her, he “without hesitation,” said yes. Rogers remained quiet throughout the hearing. Rogers pleaded not guilty to two counts of obstruction of justice on allegations that he diverted public money from a youth baseball league to an assistant. Rogers, the longest-serving member of the Alabama House, was released on a $5,000 bond. One of the conditions for being released was that Rogers were not to contact or attempt to contact anyone involved in the case. Carlos Chaverst, a spokesperson Rogers retained during the legal proceedings, said after the hearing that Rogers’ call to Individual #1 was “an honest mistake.” Chaverst identified Individual #1 as George Stewart and said Rogers meant to call his accountant when he asked his phone to call, whose last name is also Stewart. “He called his phone and said, ‘Hey, Facetime Stewart, or call Steward, and the first Stewart that popped up was, unfortunately, one of the witnesses in the case,” Chaverst said. He also said there are four Stewarts in Rogers’ phone but declined to identify the accountant by first name. According to U.S. Assistant Attorney George Martin, Rogers made two Facetime calls that Individual #1, or George Stewart, did not pick up. Individual #1 then notified the FBI that Rogers attempted to contact them. “He’s 82 years old, and we can’t expect an 82-year-old — or I don’t expect an 82-year-old man or woman or anyone to be able to use their cell phone at ease or without issues all the time,” he said. It is not immediately clear where Rogers would be held. Chaverst said there are two places where federal inmates are held in Jefferson County, either the Jefferson County Jail or the Birmingham City Jail. The indictment accuses Rogers, who has served in the Alabama House for over 40 years, of directing hundreds of thousands of dollars for public projects in Jefferson County to a youth baseball league, with a portion of the money being kicked back to Varrie Johnson Kindall, an administrative assistant the indictment accuses Rogers of having a romantic relationship with. Prosecutors also accused Rogers of attempting to convince a person identified as “Individual #1” to give false information to criminal investigators with the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) looking into the transactions. Rogers’ indictment came months after former Rep. Fred Plump, D-Fairfield, the director of the Piper Davis Youth Baseball League, pleaded guilty to similar charges over the use of public money. In late May, the Department of Justice (DOJ) accused Plump, a freshman representative, of taking money from the Jefferson County fund under the direction of another Jefferson County legislator identified as “Legislator #1” and kicking back a portion of it to a legislator’s assistant. Rogers said at the time he was “probably” the unnamed “Legislator #1,” but maintained his innocence. According to the indictment, between fiscal year 2018 and fiscal year 2022, Rogers received $500,000 from the Jefferson County Community Service Fund for Jefferson County programs. Prosecutors accuse Rogers of moving approximately $400,000 of that discretionary funds to the Piper Davis Youth Baseball League. In turn, Plump gave approximately $200,000 to Kindall. Kindall was previously identified as “Individual #1” in Plump’s DOJ charges. Rogers also moved money from the fund to “Organization #1.” The organization founder, “Individual #1,” then gave a portion of that money to Kindall. Rogers has served in the Alabama House since 1982. He ran unopposed in the previous two elections. In 2014, he was challenged by Republican Phillip Bahakel but won with almost 77% of the vote. Rogers is the third representative to face criminal charges this year. Rep. David Cole, R-Huntsville, pleaded guilty to a voting fraud charge and resigned in August after acknowledging he did not live in House district at the time he was elected. The hearing will continue Thursday at 1:30 p.m. Alabama Reflector is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Alabama Reflector maintains editorial independence. Follow Alabama Reflector on Facebook and Twitter.
Rep. John Rogers pleads not guilty to federal obstruction of justice charges
By Alander Rocha, Alabama Reflector Rep. John Rogers, D-Birmingham, pleaded not guilty Thursday to two counts of obstruction of justice on Thursday at the Hugo L. Black Federal Courthouse in Birmingham. Rogers was released after being processed by the U.S. Marshals on a $5,000 bond. Prosecutors allege that Rogers diverted public money from a youth baseball league to an assistant. The state representative will need to surrender his passport, but he told Magistrate Judge Staci G. Cornelius Thursday that he had not left the country in 10 years and may not have one. If he is able to find the passport, he is to turn in it to his probation officer. Rogers will be allowed to travel within the state of Alabama because he is still serving as a state representative. Under Alabama law, a conviction or plea to either of the charges would automatically remove Rogers from office. Rogers also may not open any new line of credit as part of the conditions, and he must turn in a gun he previously indicated was lost. “I don’t own a firearm,” he said, interrupting Cornelius as she was reading the terms of the bond, in which it said that he previously owned a firearm but may not know where it is. The indictment accuses Rogers, who has served in the Alabama House for over 40 years, of directing hundreds of thousands of dollars for public projects in Jefferson County to a youth baseball league, with a portion of the money being kicked back to Varrie Johnson Kindall, an administrative assistant the indictment accuses Rogers of having a romantic relationship with. Prosecutors also accused Rogers of attempting to convince a person identified as “Individual #1” to give false information to criminal investigators, with the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) looking into the transactions. Rogers has served in the Alabama House for over 40 years. His indictment comes months after former Rep. Fred Plump, D-Fairfield, the director of the Piper Davis Youth Baseball League, pleaded guilty to similar charges over the use of public money. In late May, the Department of Justice (DOJ) accused Plump, a freshman representative, of taking money from the Jefferson County fund under the direction of another Jefferson County legislator identified as “Legislator #1” and kicking back a portion of it to a legislator’s assistant. Rogers said at the time he was “probably” the unnamed “Legislator #1,” but maintained his innocence. According to the indictment, between fiscal year 2018 and fiscal year 2022, Rogers was allocated approximately $500,000 by the Jefferson County Community Service Fund for Jefferson County programs. Prosecutors accuse Rogers of moving approximately $400,000 of those discretionary funds to the Piper Davis Youth Baseball League. In turn, Plump gave approximately $200,000 to Kindall. Kindall was previously identified as “Individual #1” in Plump’s DOJ charges. Rogers also moved money from the fund to “Organization #1.” The organization founder, “Individual #1,” then gave a portion of that money to Kindall. Rogers has served House District 52, which includes portions of Birmingham, since 1982. He ran unopposed in the previous two elections. In 2014, he was challenged by Republican Phillip Bahakel but won with almost 77% of the vote. Rogers is the third representative to face criminal charges this year. Rep. David Cole, R-Huntsville, pleaded guilty to a voting fraud charge and resigned in August after acknowledging he did not live in the House district at the time he was elected. Alabama Reflector is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Follow Alabama Reflector on Facebook and Twitter.
