JERSEY CITY — The 12 police officers who were placed on modified duty four months ago amid a federal probe of the police department have been suspended with pay.

The city confirmed the move this afternoon after an inquiry by The Jersey Journal. A spokesman for the city declined to comment, citing the investigation.

The officers have not been charged with a crime, and the city has declined to specify how they are related to the federal investigation into officers who worked private security jobs off duty. They were placed on modified duty and stripped of their guns in January.

Carmine Disbrow, president of the Jersey City Police Officers Benevolent Association, issued a statement in support of the officers through a spokesman.

"As long as the JCPOBA represents these members we'll work to insure that they are afforded the due process they deserve," Disbrow said.

New Jersey rules do not allow police officers to retire and collect a pension if they are facing disciplinary action.

Law-enforcement sources say federal prosecutors are investigating whether some officers took improper payments directly from private companies for performing off-duty security. The companies are also under investigation, the sources say.

Officers are permitted to work off duty managing traffic at construction sites and providing private security, but the cops and the companies are required to go through the city, which collects a fee to administer the program.

The probe went public when the U.S. Attorney's Office announced that retired Jersey City cop Juan Romaniello admitted in 2015 that he would allow companies to perform work without officers present or allow them to pay him "and other police officers" directly for work done off duty, according to his indictment.

Romaniello, who pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit fraud and accept corrupt payments and one count of filing a false tax return, is scheduled to be sentenced in December. His previous two sentencing hearings were postponed.

The U.S. Attorney's office has declined to comment on the matter. City officials have said they are cooperating with the investigation.

Terrence T. McDonald may be reached at tmcdonald@jjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @terrencemcd. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook.