FORT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami/AP)- Two men are facing time in prison after a federal investigation found that the men were defrauding  an airline in the charter services industry.

Prosecutors said each man pleaded guilty in August in Fort Lauderdale to participating in separate schemes to defraud Rockford, Ill.-based Ryan International Airlines. Prosecutors said the schemes involved kickback payments to a Ryan executive in exchange for business.

In a statement Friday, the U.S. Department of Justice said a former owner and operator of a Florida aviation fuel supply company was sentenced to 23 months in prison. A former owner and operator of an Indiana flight management services company was sentenced to 16 months in prison.

Ryan provides air passenger and cargo services for corporations, private individuals, professional sports teams and the U.S. government.

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