Vista City Councilman Frank Lopez and his wife have both been charged with a misdemeanor, after they allegedly failed to pay workers' compensation to cover employees at their Mexican food restaurant.
Prosecutors allege the couple failed to pay into the mandatory state insurance program from Nov. 28, 2000 and Jan. 8, 2010.
The charges were filed after a yearlong criminal investigation, after the pair repeatedly wrote bad payroll checks to workers at Casa Linda Mexican Restaurant in Vista.
The couple will return to court on July 22 for a pre-trial hearing. A conviction means the couple could face a sentence of one year in jail or probation.
Lopez was elected to the Vista City Council in 2004. His term expires in 2012.
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