It was a case of mother-daughter teamwork. But nobody in their union seems impressed. Last Thursday, on August 13, Linda Rogers, former secretary-treasurer of American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Local 2254, along with her daughter, Jennifer Rogers, were charged in U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey with one count each of embezzlement and conspiracy to embezzle from the Jersey City-based union in a sum exceeding $40,000. They were released on bond following their initial court appearance. The charges follow an investigation by the U.S. Labor Department’s Office of Labor-Management Standards.
AFSCME Local 2254 represents employees at Jersey City Medical Center, including clerical workers, therapists and housekeepers. Unfortunately, a portion of their dues went for the personal enrichment of the Rogers duo. According to prosecutors, Linda Rogers, now 71, and Jennifer Rogers, now 38, each a resident of Jersey City, during July 2016-August 2017 deposited 112 unauthorized checks from the union’s joint checking and savings accounts into their own accounts totaling $35,267. With her mother’s permission, the daughter, a hospital employee and a union member, facilitated these illegal transfers by forging the signature of the Local 2254 president. In addition, during October-December 2016 Linda Rogers made six wire transfers in a combined sum of $5,188 into a personal account. The total loss was $40,455. The two likely face prison time.