Two elected officials heading to jail over fraud schemes

John Oxendine.

ATLANTA (WDEF) – Two former elected officials in our area are facing jail time.

One is John Oxendine, who was once Georgia’s Insurance Commissioner and a candidate for governor.

On Friday, Oxendine was sentenced to three and a half years in prison.

He was charged with healthcare fraud, specifically billing for unnecessary lab tests.

“Oxendine abused his position as the former Georgia Insurance Commissioner by undermining the integrity of the state’s healthcare system when he conspired with a physician to order hundreds of unnecessary and costly lab tests,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan.

In 2012, Oxendine was considered the early front runner for the Republican nomination for governor. He eventually finished in fourth place behind eventual Governor Nathan Deal.

The other lawmaker in trouble with the law is former Alabama state Representative John Rogers.

The Birmingham Democrat pleaded guilty to diverting state grant funding and then resigned in March.

Prosecutors called it a kickback scheme to divert money from community projects in Jefferson County.

In a sentencing memo, they say “Rogers was entrusted with the legislative prerogative of doling out $100,000 of taxpayer money annually for charitable purposes. But he was charitable only to himself and the woman who supported him personally and professionally.”

The federal prosecutors are recommending that Rogers get a 14-month prison term.