BALTIMORE (AP) — A federal prosecutor says a Maryland man has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for his role in a plot to kill a restaurant owner and his partner over an unpaid debt.

According to his plea agreement and other court documents, 30-year-old Stepfen Gerard Gaither of Randallstown was hired by co-defendant Clement Robert Mercaldo Jr. to send messages threatening victims and their families to extort money.

According to the prosecutors, the victim had his car windows smashed and his house set on fire.