Prosecutors asked a federal judge on Monday to revoke the bond of State Rep. John Rogers (D-Birmingham).
United States Attorney Prim Escalona said in a filing this week, “Defendant John Westley Rogers, Jr., was ordered by the Court at his arraignment on obstruction of justice charges not to contact victims or witnesses of his crimes. The defendant has violated that special bond condition by twice attempting to contact Individual #1, a person the defendant well knows is a witness to his crimes because Individual #1 is mentioned in the Superseding Indictment as the target of the defendant’s scheme to obstruct justice. The defendant’s bond should be revoked for this willful violation.”
A hearing on whether to revoke Rogers’ bond is scheduled for Monday morning in Birmingham.
Escalona alleges Rogers tried to contact a witness he’d allegedly tried to get to provide false and misleading information to the FBI while he was under investigation.
Rogers was released on bond on October 12.
“The following day the United States provided discovery to the defendant that included information specifically identifying Individual #1, including testimony and statements from Individual #1 about the defendant’s obstructive conduct. Then, on October 18, 2023, the United States sent an email to the defendant’s lawyer formally notifying the defendant of the identity of Individual #1,” Escalona wrote in the filing. “It was only one day later (and only one week after arraignment) that the defendant violated his conditions of release by twice attempting to contact Individual #1. At 8:17 a.m. and 12:11 p.m. on October 19, 2023, the defendant made FaceTime calls to Individual #1 from his personal phone. Individual #1 did not answer the defendant’s calls, promptly reported the contact to the FBI, and provided screenshots proving the missed calls. Because the defendant has so quickly and blatantly violated the conditions of release, the United States respectfully requests that the Court revoke defendant Rogers’ bond and remand him to the custody of the United States Marshal pending trial.”
According to the DOJ, Rogers allegedly directed $400,000 to the Piper Davis Youth Baseball League, where former State Rep. Fred Plump, Jr. (D-Fairfield) was the executive director. Plump, in turn, gave around $200,000 in kickbacks to Rogers’ assistant.
Plump pleaded guilty in May to conspiracy and obstruction of justice after the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) accused him of conspiring with others to siphon money from a public works fund in Jefferson County, which it said involved submitting false and fraudulent information to county officials.
Rogers pleaded not guilty earlier in October.
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