A federal judge granted part of a motion filed by federal prosecutors to admit certain evidence of the motive by the former police chief and his former deputy prosecutor wife to frame a relative for the theft of their mailbox.

U.S. District Judge J. Michael Seabright made the ruling in federal court Tuesday involving the conspiracy and obstruction trial against former Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Katherine Kealoha; her husband, retired Honolulu Police Chief Louis Kealoha; and three former members of the Honolulu Police Department’s Criminal Intelligence Unit.

In the motion, federal prosecutors claimed the Kealohas framed Gerard Puana when they accused him of stealing their mailbox. Katherine Kealoha was allegedly embroiled in a money dispute with her uncle and her grandmother Florence Puana involving money from a reverse mortgage on her grandmother’s home.

Federal prosecutors allege Kealoha spent the money meant for the reverse mortgage on personal expenses.

Evidence of the motive for the alleged scheme is necessary and relevant to determine whether fraud was committed, Seabright said during the hearing.

Seabright recently postponed the trial to May 15 from March 18 due to cancer treatment for Kealoha. The type of cancer has not been disclosed.

Though Seabright granted certain evidence involving the alleged motive to frame Kealoha’s uncle, Gerard Puana, he ruled to exclude evidence of allegations of bank fraud against the Kealohas because it is scheduled to be addressed in a separate trial June 15.

That trial, however, is likely to be postponed because of the conspiracy and obstruction trial.

Federal prosecutors accused Kealoha — who was appointed guardian of Ransen Taito and his sister when they were minors — of spending most of the money from the Taitos’ trust accounts on personal expenses for her and her husband.

At the hearing, attorney Cynthia Kagiwada, who is representing Kealoha, said evidence involving the Taitos will be addressed in a separate trial and is not relevant to the charges involving conspiracy and obstruction.

Attorney Rustam Barbee, who is representing Louis Kealoha, could not be reached for comment.