Rogers allegedly involved in Thailand sex trade

A former Gadsden schools superintendent charged with attempting to book a child sex tour to Mexico told an undercover officer he was involved in the sex trade in Thailand as well, court records indicated. 

Albert Thomas Rogers, also known as Tom Rogers, was indicted June 23 on one count of attempting to travel to Mexico to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor. A status hearing two days later, where Rogers was denied bail, revealed that he had admitted his involvement in the Thailand sex trade on tape to an undercover officer.

Rogers was the Gadsden Elementary School District superintendent for six years in the 1990s. In 1999 he quit his job, saying he was moving to Thailand to start a maintenance business, according to a 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. 

Attorney Joanne Landfair, who represented Rogers at the June 23 hearing, told the court that the tours in Thailand were "adult night tours, going to cabarets, all legal activity."

Rogers' resume said he was a tour operator and partner in a travel business there from 2001 to 2004.

The Yuma Sun contacted the U.S. Embassy in Thailand, but they would not comment on Rogers' presence there.

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

Steven Auslander, governing board president for the Tanque Verde School District, said, "If we had known that he was in a sex tour business, we wouldn't have hired him to be our superintendent."

Rogers was arrested June 19 by U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement officials after a six-month undercover investigation. He allegedly tried to book a sex tour to Mexico the night of June 19-20, which would include sexual activity with a 13- or 14-year-old boy. He pleaded not guilty and was denied bail because the court determined he was a flight risk, court records showed. His trial is set to begin Aug. 4.

At the time of his arrest at U.S. Port of Entry at San Luis, Ariz., federal prosecutors said he was in possession of six condoms, sexual paraphernalia and two iTunes gift cards. Assistant U.S. Attorney Keith Vercauteren said in court the gift cards were intended to serve as presents if the boys performed to Rogers' satisfaction.

In a recording of the status hearing, reported in the Arizona Daily Star, Vercauteren also said the following about the ongoing investigation:

• After Rogers' arrest, he told officials that he was planning to visit with a teenage boy in Mexico, that it was probable but not highly probable it would end in sexual activity and that he understood the tour to mean "children for sex with adults." He also told officials that they might find child pornography on his computer.

• Federal officials searching Rogers' Tucson home found a room that included sexual paraphernalia and devices, a camcorder on a tripod and various DVDs and tapes. Officials conducted a quick search on Rogers' computer and compact discs in his home and found more than 200 child-pornography videos.

• Other court documents show that Rogers is HIV-positive.