Firm hired by Iowa for prison review didn’t disclose lawsuit

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A company Iowa hired to review state prison security problems didn’t disclose that a subsidiary settled a Mississippi lawsuit alleging a questionable relationship with a consultant and a corrections official imprisoned over corruption allegations. The Des Moines Register reports that the situation has prompted criticism from a watchdog group and the top Democrat on the legislative subcommittee that oversees the Department of Corrections’ budget. CGL Companies didn’t disclose its $750,000 settlement in 2018 of lawsuit in which the Mississippi attorney general alleged racketeering by subsidiary CGL Facility Management. The Iowa Department of Corrections said the lack of disclosure isn’t a problem because it sees the two companies as separate.