BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — John Rogers, the longest-serving member of the Alabama House of Representatives and a stalwart of the state's Black caucus, will spend 13 months in prison for his part in stealing money from a community service fund.
Rogers, who was first elected to the House in 1982, pleaded guilty back in March to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, as well as conspiracy to obstruct justice. The plea came after he was indicted on charges related to a scheme involving another former Alabama politician, Rep. Fred Plump Jr.
"All I'll say is it's in God's hands," Rogers said outside the Hugo L. Black U.S. Courthouse following his sentencing. "I'm fine with it."
Plump and Rogers’ former assistant Varrie Johnson Kindall pleaded guilty to related charges. Plump resigned from office and was sentenced to a year in prison.
Prosecutors said that between 2018 and 2022 Rogers directed $400,000 to a youth baseball organization run by Plump. Rogers and Kindall then asked for Plump to give $200,000 of that money back to them in the form of a kickback.
In addition, Rogers was charged with allegedly trying to bribe a witness to give false information to law enforcement while an investigation into the scheme was ongoing.
Rogers' attorney, John Robbins, said the former lawmaker accepts full responsibility for his actions in the scheme and for abusing the trust of his constituents.
"He would like to apologize to every one of them personally if he could," Robbins said. "He's sorry for his conduct in this scheme. He's embarrassed. Humiliated, obviously. He's also embarrassed and ashamed that he did not set a better example in this situation for future lawmakers. But, he has also done good for this community and this state over 40-plus years, so we can't discount that or forget about that."
This is not the first time Rogers has been the target of federal prosecution. In 1989, he was indicted on charges of taking $5,000 from a coal miners union in exchange for supporting legislation in their favor. He was ultimately acquitted in that case. Another ethics case ultimately yielded no results because the statute of limitations had passed. In 2010, FBI agents seized a computer from Rogers' office, but he was never charged with anything.
Following his guilty plea, Rogers resigned from the House. On Oct. 1, Democratic nominee Kelvin Datcher will face Republican nominee Carlos Crum for Rogers' seat in House District 52.
This story will be updated.