When federal agents swooped in to arrest one of the most powerful couples in Prince George's County on Friday, they marred what had promised to be a clean transition: County Executive Jack Johnson's departure from office and the swearing-in of his wife, Leslie, as a new council member next month.

The arrests also left many who work in the multi-billion-dollar enterprise that is the Prince George's County government jarred and uncertain.
Some officials said they could never have imagined such a day could come, while others said they expected it. They pledged to focus on serving the county's more than 800,000 residents.
But questions remained: How much will the pall of scandal color perceptions about, and the effectiveness of, a local government with broad responsibilities over everything from development decisions to tax rates?
State elections officials said there are no state laws that would prohibit Jack Johnson from returning to his county offices to serve out the final weeks of his term or prevent Leslie Johnson from being sworn in early next month, as planned.
But state officials noted that if Leslie Johnson were to be convicted of a felony, she would not be eligible to remain in office.