Anniston Architect Pleads Guilty to Obstruction of Justice

BIRMINGHAM, AL—Joyce White Vance, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama; announced that JULIAN W. JENKINS, 76, of Anniston, Alabama pled guilty yesterday to a federal information on charges of aiding and abetting the former Chancellor of Alabama’s two year college system to obstruct justice in an ongoing federal grand jury investigation.

In June 2006, then Chancellor Roy W. Johnson, Jr., met with Jenkins and asked him to provide him with a bill for some $55,000.00 in architectural services and fireplaces Jenkins had given Johnson two years earlier for Johnson’s Opelika residence. Jenkins agreed to generate and fabricate an invoice for the architectural services and fireplaces which he provided to Johnson. The purpose of the fabricated invoice was to aid and abet Johnson in his attempts to hide and conceal from a federal grand jury investigating corruption within Alabama’s Department of Postsecondary Education the fact that Jenkins had given him the architectural services and fireplaces free of charge as “gifts.” At the time Jenkins provided these services and gifts to Johnson, Jenkins architectural firm had millions of dollars in professional service contracts with several two year colleges.

Based on the plea agreement, Jenkins will be sentenced to three years of probation, with a condition of six-months of home confinement and a fine. Jenkins will be prohibited from entering into any new contracts with the two year college system for two years and he will have to pay restitution to the college system in the amount of all of the gross profit he received from his criminal conduct. Sentencing will be scheduled by United States District Judge Karon O. Bowdre.

Vance stated, “Mr. Jenkins’ guilty plea demonstrates once again that those who take steps to obstruct the administration of justice by providing fabricated and false documents to federal grand juries will be held accountable for their conduct. At an age when he should be enjoying his golden years in retirement, Mr. Jenkins must now live; as a convicted felon and must pay back to the two year college system his profits from the State contracts he sought after and was awarded.”

This case was investigated by Special Agents of the Alabama Attorney General’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorneys Pat Meadows and Ramona Albin;prosecuted the case.