HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania's attorney general filed criminal charges Thursday against a former purchasing agent at the state's student loan agency who is accused of taking bribes from a print shop owner in exchange for inside information about competing bids for print jobs.

The two men were charged in an ongoing investigation into alleged bribery and bid manipulation for printing work and supplies at the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency, Attorney General Tom Corbett said.

Between 2005 and 2007, Daniel Snyder, owner of DRS Printing Services, gave more than $30,000 and other gifts to Kyle Andrew Becker, who worked for 10 years as a PHEAA purchasing agent, Corbett said.

"Trading of inside information for cash and gifts caused PHEAA to pay more than necessary for various printing projects, with Becker and Snyder allegedly enjoying the profits," Corbett said.

The payments, which included a $10,000 check that was used as a down-payment for a truck, were intended to encourage Becker to make sure PHEAA did business with Snyder's Dillsburg print shop, Corbett said.

Becker also allegedly received several gifts in exchange for information he gave Snyder about competitors' bids for PHEAA projects, which enabled Snyder to garner contract awards. Those items included Penn State football tickets, Pittsburgh Steelers merchandise, two rifles, a tree stand and a compound bow, Corbett said.

On one occasion in 2007, Snyder gave Becker the excess profits from a successful bid he made after Becker told Snyder he could raise his bid by $20,000 and still stay below the second-lowest bid, Corbett said.

PHEAA alerted Corbett's office in May 2007 following an internal investigation, according to criminal complaints filed against Becker and Snyder in Dauphin County Court.

Becker resigned from PHEAA four days after Corbett's office took over the investigation, agency spokesman Keith New said.

Snyder, 44, of Dillsburg, and Becker, 38, of York, were each charged with bribery; Becker was also charged with conflict of interest.

They were released on their own recognizance Thursday after being arraigned.