Attorney General Jim Hood announced today that his office recovered $26,612,188.22 in Mississippi taxpayer funds after settling 11 civil lawsuits filed in February 2017, against multiple government contractors doing business with the Mississippi Department of Corrections during the Epps bribery scandal.
The lawsuits accused these contractors of using so-called “consultants” as conduits to influence then-Commissioner Christopher Epps, through bribes and kickbacks, to award and retain MDOC contracts.
“These settlements effectively disgorged these corporations of their ill-gotten profits and then some,” General Hood said. “I have a duty to protect the integrity of the public contracting process, as well as vindicating the rights of the state when it is the victim of public corruption and other wrongful conduct. We filed these lawsuits because I was determined to hold these corporations, both out-of-state and in-state, accountable for their wrongful conduct.”
Hood said today, and throughout this litigation, they have sent a significant warning to corporations pursuing public contracts with the state that his office will not tolerate corporations taking advantage of Mississippi taxpayers.
“Corporations contracting with the state, whether through direct employees or outside consultants, must uphold their corporate ethical responsibilities to ensure our laws are followed,” said General Hood. “Corporations have a duty and a responsibility not only to properly hire, train, and supervise their employees, but also any outside consultants they elect to hire.”
General Hood reminded companies and their employees that if they are doing business in Mississippi and a public official approaches them in a way that makes them uncomfortable about a business-related issue, that action needs to be reported immediately to authorities.
The settlement amounts paid by these government contractors are as follows:
(1) Management & Training Corporation $5.18 million
For-profit operator of correctional facilities
(2) Cornell Companies, Inc. (GEO Group) $4.55 million
For-profit operator of correctional facilities
(3) Wexford Health Sources, Inc. $4.00 million
Correctional health care provider
(4) Keefe Commissary Network, LLC $3.10 million
Commissary management services
(5) C. N. W. Construction Company $3.10 million
Construction
(6) Global Tel*Link Corporation $2.50 million
Inmate telephone communications
(7) Branan Medical Corporation $2.00 million
“Drugs-of-abuse” testing products
(8) Sentinel Offender Services, LLC $1.30 million
Offender tracking and monitoring provider
(9) CGL Facility Management, LLC $750,000.00
Correctional maintenance services
(10) AdminPros, LLC $32,188.22
Medicaid eligibility services
(11) Guy E. “Butch” Evans $100,000.00
Insurance
(12) Health Assurance, LLC Bankruptcy
