CAMDEN, N.J. (AP) - Two contractors from a Pennsylvania construction company are going to federal prison for their roles in an employee extortion scheme while working on a project at Fort Dix.

A judge on Tuesday sentenced 68-year-old Leonard Santos of Yardley, Pennsylvania, to 85 months in prison.

The owner of Sands Mechanical of Bristol, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to obtain kickbacks from public works employees and causing persons to travel in interstate commerce to commit a crime of violence.

The company’s general manager, 59-year-old Alex Rabinovich of Richboro, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to three years’ probation. Rabinovich pleaded guilty to conspiracy to make payoffs to a contractor’s representative for receiving favorable treatment when bidding on federal construction projects.

The men were accused of threatening employees into paying back part of their wages.

Prosecutors say Santos, of Yardley, Pennsylvania, demanded kickbacks from workers’ paychecks at Joint Base-McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst between 2009 and 2010.

Prosecutors say he condoned the attack of a site manager who was critical of Sands Mechanicals’ employees’ work. The manager suffered serious injuries when he was run down while riding his bike.

Alex Rabinovich was also sentenced to three years of probation and four months of house arrest in the case for a conspiracy to pay a contractor’s representative to get ”last looks’ at competitors’ bids.

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