BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — A former assistant has been indicted by a federal grand jury in connection to the charges brought against Fred L. Plump Jr. and schemes to defraud the Jefferson County Community Service Fund.
In an indictment earlier this week, 21 counts were brought against Varrie Johnson Kindall, 58, of Chelsea, in which she was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud, 14 counts of wire fraud, three counts of mail fraud, one count of money laundering and two counts of obstruction of justice.
The indictment further identified relevant parties in the case as Representative John Rogers, a long-serving member of the Alabama House of Representatives; Plump, the Executive Director of the Piper Davis Youth Baseball League; and defendant Varrie Johnson Kindall, Rogers’ personal and professional assistant.
On Thursday, Kindall pleaded guilty to two of the counts brought against her and agreed to pay $87,767.10 in restitution to the victims as part of a plea deal.
In June, Plump pled guilty to conspiring with Kindall and resigned from the Alabama House of Representatives.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, in 2015 “the Act” was passed (No. 2015-226) which authorized the Jefferson County Commission to distribute a one percent sales tax and a one percent use tax to benefit the public welfare.
The Jefferson County Community Service Fund (the “Fund”) was created as a result – and was subsidized by approximately $3.6 million annually from the new taxes, according to the DOJ.
The Act also created the Jefferson County Community Service Committee, where four members were elected by the Jefferson County House and the Senate to ensure the Fund was only used for purposes outlined in the Act.
From 2018 to 2022, the indictment maintained that each Representative was allocated approximately $100,000 and each Senator was allocated approximately $240,000 from the Fund.
During those five years, Rogers was allocated approximately $500,000 by the Fund, according to the DOJ, and directed approximately $400,000 of those funds to Piper Davis. In turn, Plump gave approximately $200,000 in “kickbacks” to Kindall, court documents said.
The indictment alleged that from March 2019 through April 2023, Kindall conspired with Plump and others to defraud and obtain money from the Fund. According to the DOJ, on two occasions Kindall engaged in money laundering.
Additionally, court documents alleged that in 2019 Kindall committed wire fraud and later attempted to obstruct justice by asking Plump to give false information to federal agents and offering him a bribe.
Her sentencing is set for December 19 at the Hugo L. Black U.S. Courthouse.
