Two former state employees were indicted Tuesday in connection with the misappropriation of state public safety equipment.

Jeff Riersgard, the former director of the state's criminal history repository, and Jeff Artz, the former program manager for the agency, will be arraigned on public misconduct and theft charges later this month.

The state attorney general's office is expected to announce the indictments today.

The Review-Journal first reported about the case last February after both Riersgard and Artz resigned from their positions in the Department of Public Safety.

Riersgard's attorney, Paul Quade, said Wednesday he had not been informed of the indictment.

"We're maintaining that there was no wrongdoing whatsoever," Quade said. "We have cooperated fully with the state in this investigation, and we believe that this is a wrongful prosecution by the state of Nevada."

The two are charged in connection with the theft of live-scan fingerprinting computers originally purchased by the state through a federal grant.

Riersgard and Artz face one count each of misconduct by a public official and fraudulent appropriation of government property. Riersgard faces one count of theft and Artz faces two counts of theft.

Both Riersgard and Artz are accused of taking the fingerprint equipment from the state and giving it to relatives who operate for-profit fingerprinting businesses that are linked electronically to the state's public safety records.

Riersgard's wife, Becky Riersgard, runs Fingerprinting Express in Reno. Artz's stepson, Anthony Carrillo, runs Fingerprinting Pros on Maryland Parkway in Las Vegas.

Artz's attorney, Fred Pinkerton, said the equipment was used at Fingerprinting Pros at one time.

Pinkerton said the state Legislature's move to require annual fingerprinting of sexual offenders jammed law enforcement resources and sparked the need for private businesses to do the work.

Pinkerton said Artz initially stored the live-scan equipment at Carrillo's store, but that Carrillo asked to use it when his business picked up.

"It was an open clear daylight operation," Pinkerton said.

Carrillo had no comment when reached Wednesday at his shop. In the February article, he maintained he purchased all the equipment in his store.

Quade has said Riersgard did transfer surplus state equipment to his wife's business but did so in accordance with department practice at the time.

Both the Reno and Las Vegas business are authorized as approved facilities for the transmission of fingerprints into the state's criminal repository.

Job applicants who are required to submit fingerprints as part of background checks can go to a police agency or one of several private businesses to have prints taken. The information is then transferred electronically to the state's repository.