A Democratic state representative in Alabama is facing charges for obstructing a federal probe into his alleged role in defrauding a local community services fund.
John Rogers, a longtime Democrat in the State House, was charged this week along with his assistant Varrie Johnson Kindall, prosecutors said, for allegedly offering grant money as a bribe to someone federal agents were set to interview as part of their investigation into Rogers.
Rogers is the subject of an investigation into an alleged kickback scheme centered around the Jefferson County Community Service Fund, an initiative that gave representatives grant money to allocate to community projects of their choice. Rogers is accused of directing his portion of the funds to a local youth sports program controlled by former Democratic representative Fred Plump, who in turn directed some of the money to Rogers's assistant Kindall.
Plump resigned in May after he was charged with and agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy and obstruction of justice for his role in the kickback scheme. Each charge has a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Rogers went unnamed in the charging documents for Plump but came forward and said he was referenced as an unnamed representative who gave funds to Plump's organization. He said he did not receive kickbacks.
"I’m pretty confident that I’m going to be cleared. Looking forward to my day in court," Rogers told the Associated Press.