The military community received sweet justice Friday after a filmmaker and his wife were convicted of defrauding the Department of Veterans Affairs of $1.2 million.

Kevin Lombard and Judith Paixao began this convoluted story of corruption and exploitation in 2007 when they founded Wounded Marine Careers Foundation Inc., a nonprofit with the alleged goal of connecting wounded Marines with film careers in Hollywood. The couple charged the VA $88,000 for every Marine served in the program.

At first, the foundation had widespread support from the military community, including two former Marine commandants. That support dried up once students and employees reported that the organization had overcharged wounded veterans for an education that won them zero jobs.

Lombard and Paixao took more than $400,000 from the foundation account, which they used to pay for a Caribbean vacation, meals at fancy restaurants and the cell phone bills of their relatives. They also defrauded the Bob Woodruff Foundation of $100,000 by pretending a student who left the program was still enrolled.

U.S. Atty. Laura Duffy said in court that the couple, “capitalized on the misfortune of wounded Marines in their time of vulnerability and took advantage of the VA’s commitment to serving wounded veterans.”

The conartist couple was convicted of conspiracy to commit fraud, theft from an organization receiving federal funds, and filing false claims.