Two former Town of Islip officials are accused of accepting bribes and threatening job applicants.

The Suffolk District Attorney's Office says John Carney, 54, and Michael Allen, 41, are charged with four felonies and 12 misdemeanors.

Carney was the town's public safety commissioner before resigning three weeks ago for health reasons. Allen was the assistant fire marshal for Islip.

Investigators says the duo is accused of coercing four people to decline job offers from the Town of Islip so that Carney and Allen could hand-pick candidates they wanted for the jobs. They say the hand-picked candidates scored lower on the civil service exam.

Suffolk officials say Carney and Allen told the four job candidates that if they didn't decline the job positions, they would slap them with code enforcement violations on their homes.

Both men were arraigned Tuesday in Suffolk County Court.

Carney's attorney James Pascarella says the allegations stem from political vendettas.

Both men pleaded not guilty and will be back in court next month.