Alabama State Home Consultant Fred Plump Jr. agreed to resign from the Alabama Home of Representatives on Tuesday as a part of a plea deal for federal legal fees.
Plump was charged with wire fraud and obstruction of justice below 18 U.S.C. § 1349 and 18 U.S.C. § 1512(c)(2), respectively. Plump, along with resigning from his place as a state consultant, agreed to pay $200,000 in restitution to the Jefferson County Group Service Fund.
Plump’s legal fees stem from a kickback scheme involving the Jefferson County Group Fund and the Piper Davis Youth Baseball League. Plump is the chief director of the youth baseball league.
Alabama Act No. 2015-226 established a tax “to profit the general public welfare and improve the training of the youngsters of Jefferson County.” The act additionally established a fee to make sure that the cash was spent correctly. Every legislator was allotted $100,000 per yr to make use of for the general public welfare.
Between 2018 and 2022, a legislator on the fee allotted Piper Davis Youth Baseball League $400,000, throughout which era Plump gave $200,000 to his mistress, who was additionally that legislator’s assistant. The legislator’s assistant conveyed to Plump that the cash can be used to fund a dance workforce which the committee wouldn’t approve.
Plump’s plea deal states that he was conscious that the legislator’s assistant didn’t fund dance groups and that “Plump understood if he didn’t give half of the cash again to them, that [the legislator] wouldn’t direct fund cash to Piper Davis.”
Alabama State Consultant John Rogers told AL.com that he’s the legislator talked about within the plea deal, though Rogers denies receiving any cash from the association with Plump.
Plump was interviewed by the FBI in March 2023 as a part of their investigation into the kickback scheme, after which Plump texted his mistress “Code Crimson” and advised her she wanted to “discover a dance workforce if she didn’t have one.” Plump’s actions after the FBI interview brought on his obstruction of justice cost.
Source / Picture: jurist.org
