(Reuters) - A Massachusetts police officer and two friends were arrested on Wednesday on charges they conspired to engage in insider trading based on non-public information about Analog Devices" planned acquisition of fellow chipmaker Linear Technology in 2016. Federal prosecutors in Boston said David Forte, an officer with the Needham Police Department, learned about the deal from his brother, a senior executive at Analog, before it was announced. Forte, 58, passed the information to two close friends, John Younis, the owner of a construction company, and Gregory Manning, who was self-employed. The three grew up together and annually vacationed together, according to a criminal complaint. Based on that information, Manning, 59, and Younis, 59, bought Linear stock in the week before the companies on July 26, 2016, publicly announced the $14.8 billion deal, news that helped cause its stock price to jump, prosecutors said. Manning and Younis through their trading made $7,979 and nearly $52,000 in profits, respectively. A third person, a demolition company owner who did business with Younis, made $11,017 based on a trading tip by Younis, authorities said. Prosecutors said that Manning paid Forte a cash kickback in exchange for his tip. John Sylvia, a lawyer for Forte at Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky & Popeo; E. Peter Parker, Younis" attorney; and William Sinnott, Manning"s lawyer at Hinckley Allen did not respond to requests for comment. The three men were charged with conspiracy to commit securities fraud. Neither the demolition company owner nor the Analog executive were charged. The case is U.S. v. Forte, U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts, No. 22-mj-06014. For the United States: David Holcomb of the U.S. Attorney"s Office for the District of Massachusetts For Forte: John Sylvia of Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky & Popeo For Younis: E. Peter Parker For Manning: William Sinnott of Hinckley Allen