Cranes at the New York Container terminal in Staten Island.

A subcontractor swindled workers out of approximately $120,000 in benefits during an asbestos abatement project at the New York Container Terminal demolition project in Mariners Harbor, authorities told the Staten Island Advance.

Richard Efferen, the 53-year-old owner and operator of Atlas Engineering & Maintenance Co., was arrested Monday afternoon, after an investigation showed he falsified payroll records and didn’t pay the wages that were legally required for 25 union workers, authorities said.

Though he paid them the hourly rate, he did not forward approximately $120,000 to the Mason Tenders District Council for benefits, authorities charge.

Efferen, a resident of the Bronx, has been charged with second-degree grand larceny, and six counts of making a punishable false written statement.