Three Massachusetts state troopers have been charged with collecting pay for overtime shifts they never worked. Two of the three officers recently retired. The other is still on the force, but has been suspended. This is the first legal action following the announcement earlier this year that dozens of troopers had allegedly been putting in for phony overtime. WGBH Radio's Isaiah Thompson was at Boston's Moakley Federal Courthouse today, where the three troopers faced charges of embezzlement. He spoke with WGBH All Things Considered anchor Barbara Howard. The following transcript has been edited for clarity.

Barbara Howard: What are the exact charges?

Isaiah Thompson: The exact charge for each of the men is "theft or bribery concerning a program receiving federal funds." In other words, stealing or embezzling money from a program that's being funded partly by the government.

Howard: And that's why these were federal charges that were brought?

Thompson: That's right.

Howard: OK, so who are the three troopers?

Thompson: The three troopers are Paul Cesan of Southwick, Gary Herman of Chester, and David Wilson of Charlton.

Howard: How much money do authorities claim they collected by allegedly filing for these fake shifts that weren't actually worked?

Thompson: The three men combined are alleged to have overcharged about $54,000. That’s $12,500 for one man, $12,500 for another, and one man, Paul Cesan, is alleged to have overcharged about $29,000.

Howard: How is it alleged that they concocted these phony overtime shifts?

Thompson: According to the charges as described by U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Andrew Lelling, the men would sign up for voluntary patrol shifts on the highways, and then they would either not show up, or they would show up and then leave. Then, in some cases, they would concoct phony citations in order to make it look like they had been out on the road.

Howard: So these are just three troopers. Could more troopers be charged in the days to come?

Thompson: U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling did not let on to any other forthcoming charges, but he did really emphasize that this investigation is open and ongoing. So I think it's a real possibility.

Howard: OK. Thanks for joining us, Isaiah.

Thompson: Thanks for having me.

Howard: That's WGBH Radio's Isaiah Thompson. He was at Boston's Moakley Federal Courthouse, where three current and former state troopers appeared. They are accused of filing for overtime shifts that they never worked. This is All Things Considered.