ST. LOUIS (AP) – Four St. Louis police officers are facing criminal charges after an internal affairs investigation accused them of forging documents to collect thousands of dollars in overtime pay for work they did not perform.

St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner’s office on Thursday filed felony stealing and forgery charges against officers Brian Jost, Michael Langsdorf and Emin Talic. Officer Daniel O’Brien is charged with felony forgery and misdemeanor stealing.

The attorney for all four officers, Brian Millikan, told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (http://bit.ly/2oeRAZj ) that the officers deny the allegations. He blamed “an accounting issue.”

Gardner says in a statement that she hopes the charges “send a clear message” that violators of the public trust will be held accountable.