Alabama
Rep. John Rogers agrees to plea deal, will resign from Alabama House • Alabama Reflector
Rep. John Rogers, D-Birmingham has reached a plea deal over allegations that he diverted public money for a youth baseball league to an associate, the U.S. Attorney’s Office at the Northern District of Alabama said on Monday.
The office said Rogers, 83, agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud, and one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice. The plea deal was filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama.
As part of the agreement, Rogers has agreed to step down from his position in the Alabama House of Representatives, where he has served since 1982. The plea agreement says Rogers will serve 14 months in home confinement and pay over $197,000 in restitution.
John Robbins, Rogers’ attorney, said Monday he could not comment yet as they had just reached the deal.
GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
The agreement follows similar pleas from Rogers’ former associate Varrie Johnson Kindall and former Rep. Fred L. Plump, D-Fairfield, who previously admitted to their roles in defrauding the Jefferson County Community Service Fund.
Rogers, currently the longest-serving Representative in the Alabama House, was allotted approximately $500,000 from the fund between fiscal years 2018 and 2022. Prosecutors allege that Rogers directed a significant portion of these funds to the Piper Davis Youth Baseball League, headed by Plump, who then funneled kickbacks totaling approximately $200,000 to Rogers and Kindall.
The indictment further accuses Rogers, Kindall and Plump of submitting false information to the committee regarding the intended use of fund money for Piper Davis. Rogers and Kindall are alleged to have obstructed justice by attempting to influence a witness and providing false information to investigators.
The maximum penalties for these charges include up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, and up to 5 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for conspiracy to obstruct justice.
Rep. John Rogers indicted on two counts of obstruction of justice
Rogers agreed to plead guilty one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and one count for conspiracy to obstruct justice.
Rogers could face up to a total of 25 years imprisonment or a fine of up to $500,000, or both. He could also face supervised release for up to three years.
He’ll also have to pay Jefferson County Community Service Fund $197,950.45 in restitution. In exchange, the U.S. Attorney’s Office agreed to dismiss the remaining counts in the second superseding indictment, which included a count of obstruction of justice by bribery and one for failure to file tax return.
The state representative was jailed in October over allegations that he had made a phone call to a witness in the case. Rogers, who said the call was an inadvertent mistake, was released after a judge imposed new conditions on him.
Rogers is the third state representative to plead guilty to a criminal charge and resign from the Alabama House in the last 10 months. Plump resigned in May. Former Rep. David Cole, R-Madison, resigned at the end of August and pleaded guilty to a charge of knowingly voting at a polling place where he was not authorized to vote.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
Alabama football added another member to its 2026 signing class in cornerback Nick Sherman on Sunday evening.
Sherman is the Crimson Tide’s 24th signee, as this news comes 11 days after early national signing day.
The JUCO product was formerly at Itawamba Community College. The 6-foot-3, 190-pounder is also a Tuscaloosa native, as he went to Northridge High School.
This season at Itawamba CC, Sherman logged 24 tackles and two interceptions in eight games as a sophomore.
Sherman is the fifth defensive back in the Crimson Tide’s 2026 signing class, as he joins cornerbacks Zyan Gibson and Jorden Edmonds, along with safeties Jireh Edwards and Rihyael Kelley.
Coming HOME, COMMITTED 🐘🐘 . pic.twitter.com/6xKIhWIK56
— Nick “ vibez” Sherman ✞ (@nickvibeez) December 15, 2025
Alabama’s 2026 Signing Class
- CB Zyan Gibson, 5-foot-11, 177 lbs. – Gadsden, Alabama (Committed 12/24/2024)
- CB Jorden Edmonds, 6-foot-2, 175 lbs. – Marietta, Georgia (Committed 03/26/2025)
- EDGE Jamarion Matthews, 6-foot-2, 240 lbs. – Gainesville, Georgia (Committed 02/21/2025)
- EDGE Kamhariyan Johnson, 6-foot-4, 260 lbs. – Muscle Shoals, Alabama (Committed 04/12/2025)
- OL Chris Booker, 6-foot-4, 285 lbs. – Atlanta, Georgia (Committed 02/20/2025)
- QB Jett Thomalla, 6-foot-3, 205 lbs. – Omaha, Nebraska (Committed 06/17/2025)
- S Rihyael Kelley, 6-foot-3, 180 lbs. – Cincinnati, Ohio (Committed 06/23/2025)
- SN Eli Deutsch, 6-foot-2, 225 lbs. – Franklin, Wisconsin (Committed 06/24/2025)
- RB Ezavier Crowell, 5-foot-10, 210 lbs. – Jackson, Alabama (Committed 06/26/2025)
- TE Mack Sutter, 6-foot-5, 230 lbs. – Dunlap, Illinois (Committed 06/26/2025)
- LB Zay Hall, 6-foot-2, 222 lbs. – Tuscaloosa, Alabama (Committed 06/27/2025)
- LB Xavier Griffin, 6-foot-3, 200 lbs. – Gainesville, Georgia (Committed 06/29/2025)
- WR Cederian Morgan, 6-foot-4, 220 lbs – Alexander City, Alabama (Committed 07/02/2025)
- DL Nolan Wilson, 6-foot-4, 250 lbs. – Picayune, Mississippi (Committed 07/04/2025)
- S Jireh Edwards, 6-foot-2, 210 lbs. – Baltimore, Maryland (Committed 07/05/2025)
- QB Tayden Kaawa, 6-foot-5, 235 lbs. – Orem, Utah (Committed 07/22/2025)
- OT Bear Fretwell, 6-foot-6, 295 lbs. – Brooklet, Georgia (Committed 07/25/25)
- OT Jared Doughty, 6-foot-5, 300 lbs. – Atlanta, Georgia (Committed 10/05/2025)
- EDGE Corey Howard, 6-foot-6, 245 lbs. – Valdosta, Georgia (Committed 10/19/2025)
- OL Tyrell Miller, 6-foot-5, 305 lbs. – College of San Mateo (Committed 11/29/2025)
- EDGE Malique Franklin, 6-foot-5, 250 lbs. – Daphne, Alabama (Committed 12/02/2025)
- TE Jude Cascone, 6-foot-2, 225 lbs. – Marietta, Georgia (Committed 11/30/2025)
- RB Traeshawn Brown, 5-foot-10, 190 lb. – Huntsville, Texas (Committed 12/04/2025)
- CB Nick Sherman, 6-foot-3, 190 lb, – Tuscaloosa, Alabama (Committed 12/14/25)
Read More:
Subscribe to BamaCentral’s Free Newsletter
Ringo, an abandoned puppy that was dropped off at the Madison Police Department earlier this week, will get the surgery he needs thanks to an outpouring of donations from the city’s residents.
On Dec. 9, the Madison Police Department said in a Facebook post it was trying to raise $2,000 so Ringo could get an injured leg amputated.
“Citizens of Madison, we need your help. Recently, an abandoned and abused puppy was brought to us—sweet, loving, and still full of hope despite what he’s been through,” the post said.
“To give him the chance at a healthy, happy life, he needs a surgery to amputate an injured leg. Once he recovers, he’ll be ready for adoption and would make an incredible addition to a loving Madison family—just in time for Christmas.”
Just three days later, the department said in an update that they’d raised the money they needed, and Ringo would get his surgery in the middle of January.
During a vet visit, the pup was given a clean bill of health and all his required shots.
“We completely met the goal and could not have done it without the help of all our citizens here so we greatly appreciate everything you guys donated for him,” an update video said.
Now the police department is asking for the community to step up again and help get Ringo adopted before his surgery.
“Our next thing we can do is have him adopted. He is ready to go into somebody’s home so he can get acclimated and ready to go before his surgery,” the post said.
Anyone interested in adopting Ringo is asked to call Madison’s Animal Control at 256-772-5694.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — No. 12 Alabama fell to No. 1 Arizona in Legacy Arena in the fifth annual C.M. Newton Classic. The Crimson Tide held a 2-point halftime lead, but got decimated in the second half, opening the first six minutes of the second frame with just two field goals made.
The top-ranked Wildcats went on to claim a 96-75 victory and dropped the Crimson Tide’s record in the event to 2-3.
“They’re obviously a really good team,” Nate Oats said. “There’s a reason they’re number one in the country. I thought the first half we played pretty well. We were down five on the glass and needed to clean it up a little bit, and then the second half we had this issue where we just haven’t had very good starts to the second half. We came out and didn’t have a very good start, and it got progressively worse. I think they scored, shoot 39 the entire first half. They had 39 in less than 12 minutes to start the second half.
“Start of the second half was bad. Obviously, they came out of halftime ready to play; we didn’t. The toughness factor was a problem. It’s impossible – I shouldn’t say impossible. It’s nearly impossible to win a game when your opponent gets 28 more field goal attempts than you. If you look, we outshot them from the field and from the free throw line, both percentage-wise. Free throws, they made one more free throw than we did and they got 28 more field goal attempts. You can’t win games giving your opponent 28 more field goal attempts. Offensive glass we had three the whole game, they had 22. We lost the rebounds by 20 again. This has been a recurring issue for us.”
Alabama History in C.M. Newton Classic
- 2021 – Davidson 79, Alabama 78
- 2022 – Gonzaga 100, Alabama 90
- 2023 – Alabama 101, Liberty 56
- 2024 – Alabama 100, Illinois 87
- 2025 – Arizona 96, Alabama 75
Watch the above video as BamaCentral writers Katie Windham, Hunter De Siver, and Will Miller, provide thoughts and takeaways from the Alabama men’s basketball team’s 96-75 loss against the Arizona Wildcats on Saturday. The trio discusses the performance of the No. 12 Crimson Tide and the rebounding issues that continue to plague the program.
Lions no longer control own destiny to postseason after loss to Rams
San Francisco honors legendary photographer Jim Marshall with street named in his memory
Dallas Wings’ Paige Bueckers is just getting started
Free December events in Boston: Hanukkah celebrations, new play readings, and more – The Boston Globe
Where do Packers stand in NFC playoff picture after loss in Denver?
Florida High School Football Rankings: Top 25 teams – Oct. 21
Cleary's 21 help Le Moyne down Central Connecticut State 69-64 in OT
How old is Bo Nix? What to know about Oregon quarterback ahead of 2024 NFL Draft
99th annual Pony Swim held in Virginia
Video: ‘It Didn’t Have to Happen This Way:’ U.Va. Faculty Call for Review of Police Response to Protests
Bill and Hillary Clinton’s Stance on Epstein Testimony Nov. 3
Small Business Administration unveils new initiative to roll back federal regulations
Analysis: Trump’s policies set to widen EU-US innovation gap
With federal relief on the horizon, Black farmers worry it won’t come soon enough
Trump’s election win filled Hamas with ‘fear,’ hostage held like ‘slave’ for 505 days recounts
-
Alaska1 week agoHowling Mat-Su winds leave thousands without power
-
Texas1 week agoTexas Tech football vs BYU live updates, start time, TV channel for Big 12 title
-
Washington6 days agoLIVE UPDATES: Mudslide, road closures across Western Washington
-
Iowa1 week agoMatt Campbell reportedly bringing longtime Iowa State staffer to Penn State as 1st hire
-
Miami, FL1 week agoUrban Meyer, Brady Quinn get in heated exchange during Alabama, Notre Dame, Miami CFP discussion
-
Iowa2 days agoHow much snow did Iowa get? See Iowa’s latest snowfall totals
-
Cleveland, OH1 week agoMan shot, killed at downtown Cleveland nightclub: EMS
-
World1 week ago
Chiefs’ offensive line woes deepen as Wanya Morris exits with knee injury against Texans
