Varrie Johnson

Varrie Johnson Kindall (born c. 1965) is a former assistant to State Representative John Rogers.

In May 2023 Johnson was indicted on charges of defrauding the United Mine Workers of America, the U.S. Department of Labor, and the Social Security Administration by collecting pension, Social Security, and disability compensation due to her parents, who died in 1980 and 2017. She pleaded not guilty before Judge John England III, but later agreed to plead to one count of theft of government property and one count of aggravated identity theft, and to repay nearly $88,000.

Meanwhile, in June 2023 federal investigators charged Representative Fred Plump (D-District 55) of conspiring with Johnson to direct funds to Plump's Piper Davis Youth Baseball League. Plump pleaded guilty to conspiracy and obstruction of justice. In his statement, he claimed that he gave half of the allocated funds back to Johnson in exchange for her help. Johnson was indicted on 21 counts of fraud, money laundering, obstruction and conspiracy in late August. She pleaded not guilty to those charges in September.

Johnson was arraigned again on October 12 in a superseding indictment. She and Rogers both pleaded not guilty to charges of obstruction and bribery relating to a different recipient of Jefferson County Community Service Fund allocations. During the hearing it was disclosed that Rogers was living at her home in Chelsea while recovering from hip surgery. In early 2024 a grand jury found probable cause that Rogers had committed fraud and obstruction by convincing Johnson to take responsibility for all wrongdoing in exchange for his promise to take care of personal issues for her.

References

• Denham, Hannah & Joseph D. Bryant (June 29, 2023) "Alabama lawmaker’s assistant indicted on charges of stealing her late parents’ retirement benefits." AL.com
• Denham, Hannah (September 1, 2023) "Alabama lawmaker’s assistant pleads guilty to stealing parents’ retirement benefits." AL.com
• Bryant, Joseph D. & Hannah Denham (October 12, 2023) "Rep. Rogers and assistant plead not guilty in Birmingham court, drive off together." AL.com
• Thornton, William (February 2, 2024) "State Rep. John Rogers faces more charges related to fraud case involving Jefferson County Community Service Fund." AL.com