A former St. Johns County inspector has pleaded guilty to extortion. The man faces up to 20 years in federal prison.
Sixty-four-year-old Will Rogers of St. Augustine pleaded guilty on Monday to the charge he extorted money while working as a construction inspector for St. Johns County. That's according to a news release from U.S. Attorney A. Lee Bentley III, whose office prosecuted the case.
The FBI began investigating Rogers after a businessman complained he threatened to report non-existent code violations if unless he paid Rogers off. At the time of the complaint, the man had already given Rogers $1,500. Afterward, he continued aiding the investigation by recording conversations and making several more payments at the inspector's demands totaling $6,000.
Last year, federal agents stopped Rogers in his county vehicle and recovered $2,000 in cash. Sentencing in the case has not been set.
Photo credit: "Building over the old" used under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 license.
