Private prison operator GEO sued for sexual harassment

The federal government has sued private prison operator GEO Group, Inc. for a second time, alleging one of the company's Florence facilities has a "systemic sexual harassment" problem.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed suit this week in U.S. District Court in Phoenix, alleging that at least eight different male GEO employees sexually harassed a female colleague. The woman was fired after complaining of mistreatment.

The suit claims:

A male correctional officer said women were "only good for being on their knees and having kids."

Two male sergeants frequently stood around bragging about their sexual exploits.

Another male sergeant put his hand on the female employee's back, telling her she smelled good and that he wanted to marry her.

Yet another male sergeant talked about how he liked to have sex in the morning and discussed it throughout the day. He also made crude references to his anatomy.

A lieutenant repeatedly asked the female employee for hugs and would hold onto the woman.

Another lieutenant stalked the female employee and followed her home from work.

The suit also alleges GEO Group did not adequately respond to stop the harassment, despite numerous written and verbal complaints by the woman.

After the woman complained, she was assigned to less desirable posts and then fired, according to the EEOC. After the woman obtained a new job, GEO Group contacted the new employer and gave an "unsolicited and unjustifiably negative reference" to that employer, the suit said.

"There is a culture in that prison that allows and encourages sexual harassment of female workers and a culture of retaliation," EEOC Regional Attorney Mary Jo O'Neil said in an interview Friday.

Florida-based GEO Group, which runs the Central Arizona Correctional Facility, did not respond to request for comment.

The state Department of Corrections issued a statement Friday saying it was reviewing the suit. It said it expects all contract service providers to have a workplace free from discrimination, sexual harassment and other misconduct. And, it expects prompt corrective action for misconduct.

The company in 2013 paid $140,000 to two other women who claimed they were sexually harassed while working at a neighboring private prison that GEO Group operates in Florence. The payment came after the EEOC and state of Arizona alleged in a suit that the company "fostered an atmosphere of sexual intimidation and harassment" that included a male supervisor forcing himself on a female subordinate and kissing her.

GEO Group is well connected politically in Arizona, hiring influential lobbyists and making major campaign contributions to politicians.

It also is one of the bidders to take over a lucrative state contract to run a private prison outside of Kingman.

Gov. Doug Ducey terminated the Kingman prison's previous contract with Management & Training Corp. after an inmate riot in July that badly damaged the facility.

Less than a month before last November's election, GEO group gave $50,000 to Conservative Leadership for Arizona, an independent expenditure committee that supported Ducey. GEO Group's political action committee also gave $2,000 to Ducey's campaign a few weeks before the election. The company gave $5,000 in December 2013 to a committee to help elect Arizona House Republicans, who have approved budgets to expand the use of private prisons in Arizona.

Calls to Ducey's spokesman were not returned.