Former Yuma educator indicted in child sex case

The former Gadsden superintendent arrested last week on suspicion of booking a child sex tour to Mexico has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Phoenix.

Albert Thomas "Tom" Rogers, 51, was indicted Tuesday on one count of attempting to travel to Mexico to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor. He remained in federal custody in Phoenix on Wednesday, awaiting a status hearing Thursday with U.S. District Judge Edward C. Voss.

Rogers served as the Gadsden Elementary School District superintendent about 10 years ago. He served the district for six years before quitting in 1999, saying he had plans to move to Thailand, according to a Yuma Sun article published at that time.

He had also served as the San Luis Middle School principal, and on both the Yuma Union High School District and Somerton School District governing boards. A 1994 Yuma Sun profile on Rogers  said he had also worked at one time or other as a school custodian, school bus driver, sports coach, teacher and school cafeteria volunteer.

At the time of his arrest, Rogers was the Tanque Verde Unified School District superintendent in Tucson. He has since resigned.

Rogers was arrested Friday at the U.S. Port of Entry in San Luis, Ariz., after being picked up from the Yuma airport by an undercover officer. According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), he allegedly tried to book a sex tour to Mexico that would include "relaxation intimacy" with a 13- or 14-year-old boy.

Cited in the criminal complaint, Rogers allegedly contacted the undercover officer in January, eventually booking a tour for the night of June 19 to the 20th.

If convicted, Rogers could face a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison or a $250,000 fine, or both.

ICE spokesman Vincent Picard said this was Rogers' first suspicion of involvement with the child sex tourism business. Since ICE launched its Operation Predator undercover campaign in Yuma in 1997, 43 other people have been arrested on similar suspicions.

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Karina Schroeder can be reached at kschroeder@yumasun.com or 539-6864.