A longtime assistant to state Rep. John Rogers pleaded not guilty today to felony charges involving a federal kickback scheme that took down another lawmaker.

Varrie Johnson, also known as Varrie Kindall, appeared in federal court in Birmingham on Thursday morning, her first appearance in this case.

Federal prosecutors allege she conspired to skim nearly $200,000 in public money in a scheme that involved former state Rep. Fred Plump’s nonprofit baseball league receiving funds from the Jefferson County Community Service Fund. Plump funneled the money to Johnson, and Rogers was to receive a cut of the funds, according to his plea agreement.

Johnson, 58, of Chelsea, is indicted on 14 counts of wire fraud, three counts of mail fraud, two counts of obstruction of justice, one count of money laundering, and one count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud, according to the federal court records unsealed on Aug. 31.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Gray M. Borden appointed federal defenders Kevin Butler, Courtney Murtha and James Gibson on Wednesday to represent Johnson in this case, per the court docket. They did not respond to a request for comment in time for publication.

U.S. Attorney Prim Escalona and Assistant U.S. Attorney George Martin asked the court to keep certain documents in the case confidential. Judge Borden agreed to keep evidence with “personally identifying information” confidential.

Johnson is out of jail on a $5,000 unsecured bond, which comes with restrictions including limits on travel outside of north Alabama, while still allowing her to access medical treatment. She is barred from contacting Plump or opening new lines of credit.

Plump resigned from the Alabama House earlier this summer after pleading guilty to federal charges of conspiracy and obstruction of justice.

Rogers has not been criminally charged and has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing in interviews with AL.com. He has previously said that he employs Johnson privately to handle both personal and public business, as well as caretaking and driving.

According to the indictment and Plump’s plea agreement, Rogers recommended that Plump’s nonprofit, Piper Davis youth baseball league, receive funding from the community service fund. The fund is a collection of local tax dollars that lawmakers get to dole out to community organizations and governmental entities for community service initiatives.

Johnson is already facing charges in a separate federal case, which Judge Borden mentioned during her arraignment. She recently pleaded guilty to charges for taking nearly $88,000 worth of her dead parents’ federal retirement payments. Her sentencing date for that case is scheduled for Dec. 19 at the Hugo L. Black U.S. Courthouse in Birmingham.

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