Frank Johnston, who retired in 2009, was accused of fabricating his wife's timesheets while he was supposedly supervising her work. He had assigned her to an isolated workplace away from the main office and she stopped going to work though she was claiming full pay and, frequently, overtime.
The couple also allegedly instructed the only other employee in the satellite office to log into Taryn Johnston's email account and forward some to her personal account.
Frank Johnston was charged with 25 counts including federal wire fraud, false statements and theft of government property. Frank Johnston could face a maximum sentence of 465 years in federal prison.
Taryn Johnston was charged in two counts in the indictment. If she is convicted of all charges, she faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison.
The Johnstons are expected to be arraigned on the indictment Friday afternoon in U.S. District Court in downtown Los Angeles.
City News Service contributed to this report
