Two shore men accused of extorting thousands of dollars from contractors trying to land work on a Hudson County public golf course project face a raft of federal charges related to influence-peddling.

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James Castaldo, 59, of Beachwood, and Gerard Pica, 65, of Middletown, were scheduled to appear in a Newark federal courtroom today following their Tuesday indictments, according to information from the office of New Jersey U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman.

Pica is employed at the Hudson County Improvement Authority (HCIA), the agency overseeing construction of the nine-hole Lincoln Park West course in Jersey City, authorities said.

Each is charged with two counts of conspiracy to commit extortion under color of official right affecting interstate commerce; two counts of extortion under color of official right affecting interstate commerce; and two counts of accepting, and agreeing to accept, corrupt payments.

According to investigators, Castaldo, Pica and others conspired to force payments from contractors seeking to supply the project with soil and fill material during the time between August 2010 and November 2011.

Pica's association with another staffer who had authority to select and manage contractors gave him the means to influence HCIA's contracting decisions, authorities said. The unidentified staffer is termed "Employee 1" in released documents.

The indictment alleges that Castaldo and Pica hatched a plan to force an environmental consultant, and friend of Pica's, to pay for their help in landing a contract, and to share the money with Employee 1. Castaldo was to be paid $3 per ton, investigators said.

The second half of the indictment alleges that Castaldo, Pica and Employee 1 forced a Bayonne recycler into the same type of agreement, with the recycler paying Castaldo $2 per cubic yard of fill and soil.

Four of the six charges carry possible prison terms as high as 20 years on conviction. The remainder are punishable by up to 10 years on conviction.

The indictment also seeks forfeiture of $53,861.

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