A federal judge set a May court date for Prince George’s County Councilwoman Leslie Johnson to enter a plea on charges of destroying and hiding evidence in the corruption case against her husband, then-County Executive Jack Johnson. Her arraignment is scheduled for May 4 before Judge Peter J. Messitte, according to documents filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt.
Leslie Johnson, 59, a Mitchellville Democrat, was charged by criminal information, a legal step that often signals a defendant intends to plead guilty as part of a deal with prosecutors. She has been charged with witness and evidence tampering but hasn’t been indicted.
Johnson was arrested in November after the FBI said she was caught concealing bribes obtained by her husband, who is facing corruption-related charges, as agents raided her home. He has said he is not guilty. Joseph E. diGenova, a former U.S. attorney in D.C. who is not connected with the case, said it’s possible that a plea bargain would require her to testify in her husband’s case.
“Usually the government doesn’t do deals without cooperation,” he said.
But prosecutors already will be able to use her words against him, diGenova said, as the FBI said it secretly recorded the Johnsons on wiretaps discussing ways to get rid of and hide bribes.
“She actually already testified against her husband,” he said. “On the tape recordings.”
On the FBI transcripts, Jack Johnson tells his wife to flush a $100,000 check down the toilet and to stuff $79,600 in cash in her bra.
She is facing a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Under county law, a guilty plea to a felony would result in Johnson being forced off the council.
She had been elected — but not sworn in — at the time of her November arrest.
Alisha L. Alexander, the county’s elections administrator, estimated that a special election would cost the county $200,000.
On Tuesday, Leslie Johnson participated in the weekly County Council meeting but bolted from the room when it ended as reporters — with whom she seldom speaks — tried to approach her. She declined to comment through a spokeswoman.
