GEO Group Inc., the nation’s second-largest private prison conglomerate, has until now mostly kept its brand far from the law-abiding public’s consciousness.

But this week, as the company donated $6 million as part of a naming rights deal for a college football stadium in Florida, brand image apparently became an elevated concern. Following reports in Deadspin, The Huffington Post and the New York Times on the stadium deal between GEO Group and Florida Atlantic University, a page about the company on Wikipedia suddenly came in for an extreme makeover, with all negative references excised.

A section on the Wikipedia page entitled “controversies,” which listed state and federal investigations and lawsuits claiming mistreatment of prisoners in GEO facilities, had disappeared. In its place was a new section, headlined “Quality of Operations,” which duplicated language in company filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

According to Wikipedia’s revision history on the GEO Group entry, someone named Abraham Cohen made substantial changes to the entry Wednesday, deleting references to the controversies and replacing descriptions of the company’s operations with text matching that on GEO Group’s website. GEO Group employs an Abraham Cohen as a corporate relations manager, according to several articles on the GEO Group’s websites, public citations in news articles and a public profile on LinkedIn. Abraham Cohen’s LinkedIn profile says he’s a Florida Atlantic University graduate and news stories identified him as a former student body president.

geo group revision

A spokesman for the GEO Group, Pablo Paez, wrote in an email that the company was “not going to comment on edits to a Wikipedia page,” saying GEO has a policy of not addressing “information that is found on Internet sites or social media outlets, particularly those that can be freely updated by a variety of public users.” Paez did not respond to follow-up questions about the similarity between the name for the Wikipedia user who altered the website and the corporate relations official employed by company.

By early Wednesday evening, several Wikipedia editors had made changes to the entry, some registering major concerns with revised language. One editor, Salex1093, wrote in the revision: “If you want to add additional information, it must be from a neutral point of view. Wikipedia refers to the subjects of its articles in the third, not first, person.”

Before Wikipedia editors changed the Geo Group page back to its original form around 9 p.m. Wednesday, Wikipedia placed an alert on top of the GEO Group entry that read: “This article appears to be written like an advertisement. Please help improve it by rewriting promotional content from a neutral point of view and removing any inappropriate external links.”

geo group wikipedia

Jesse Lava, a HuffPost blogger and campaign director at the Brave New Foundation, a social justice advocacy group, pointed out the Wikipedia revisions in a blog post Wednesday, asking whether it was “an effort to minimize the damage” after increased scrutiny following the stadium deal with Florida Atlantic University.

GEO Group, a $1.6 billion corporation that manages prisons in the United States, Australia and South Africa, said Tuesday that the $6 million naming rights deal was a purely philanthropic gift to the university’s athletic department. Money would go toward scholarships and academic efforts, in addition to needed finances for the stadium, the company said.

The university, located four miles from the GEO Group headquarters in Boca Raton, Fla., announced Tuesday that it would brand its new, 30,000-seat football field GEO Group Stadium.

Florida Atlantic had been searching for a corporate sponsor for its $70 million stadium since 2011, after borrowing nearly $45 million to pay for construction. In a news release Tuesday, Florida Atlantic President Mary Jane Saunders said it was “so exciting” to have GEO Group’s name on the stadium and cited the company’s “incredible generosity.”

Several immigrant rights groups condemned the deal Wednesday, questioning why the university would partner with a company that profits from incarceration, including the detention of undocumented immigrants apprehended by the federal government.

The company has been at the center of several controversies across the U.S., including at a youth detention center in Texas, which was shut down after state inspectors said they found “filthy” and “unsafe” conditions that included feces on walls. Several riots erupted at a GEO-operated federal prison in west Texas that housed mostly undocumented immigrants in 2008 and 2009, following the death of an epileptic inmate who had been left in isolation despite pleas for help.

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  • 1. Martin L. Grass

    > Company: Rite-Aid<br>
    > Current status of the company: Still active<br>

    In 1999, Rite-Aid (NYSE: RAD) CEO Martin L. Grass, the son of company founder Alex Grass, was forced to resign from the post he had held for just four years. Grass was formally indicted in 2002, along with several other high-ranking executives at the drugstore chain, for conspiracy to defraud, making false statements, as well as accounting fraud. In 2004, Grass pleaded guilty and reached a plea agreement to serve at least eight years in prison and pay a $500,000 fine, as well as waive $3 million in owed salary. In 2009, Grass moved into a halfway house and was subsequently released in 2010.<br>

    <a href=”http://247wallst.com/2012/05/17/top-ten-ceos-sent-to-prison” target=”_hplink”>Read more at 24/7 Wall St.</a>

  • 2. Joseph Nacchio

    > Company: Qwest<br>
    > Current status of the company: Acquired<br>

    In March, 2005, telecommunication company Qwest’s CEO Joseph Nacchio and several executives were indicted by the SEC. The charges included inflating revenue estimates, lying about nonexistent forthcoming government contracts, and illegally profiting from the run-up in the stock price. In 2007, Nacchio was sentenced to six years in prison. He was also ordered to pay a $19 million fine and forfeit an additional $52 million he had made through illegal trading. Nacchio appealed several times, losing his final appeal in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. He began serving his term in February, 2009, but even now his legal team is petitioning to be heard in the Supreme Court.<br>

    <a href=”http://247wallst.com/2012/05/17/top-ten-ceos-sent-to-prison” target=”_hplink”>Read more at 24/7 Wall St.</a>

  • 3. Walter Forbes

    > Company: Cendant<br>
    > Current status of the company: Split up<br>

    In 1998, Hospitality Franchise Systems, a platform used to purchase hotel chains, merged with direct marketing company Comp-U-Card International to form Cendant. The new corporation soon discovered, however, that Walter Forbes, CUC’s former CEO and the CEO of the newly formed Cendant, had grossly misrepresented the financial status of CUC. He reported at least $500 million in nonexistent profits. Forbes, who insisted he knew nothing about the situation, was forced out. By 2002, the ex-CEO was indicted under fraud charges, and in 2007, after years of appeals, he was sentenced to 12 years in prison and $3.28 billion in damages. In 2005, Cendant split up and spun off into several different companies.<br>

    <a href=”http://247wallst.com/2012/05/17/top-ten-ceos-sent-to-prison” target=”_hplink”>Read more at 24/7 Wall St.</a>



    Read more: Top Ten CEOs Sent to Prison – 24/7 Wall St. http://247wallst.com/2012/05/17/top-ten-ceos-sent-to-prison/#ixzz1vEd1RweC

  • 4. Richard Scrushy

    > Company: HealthSouth<br>
    > Current status of the company: Still active<br>

    Richard Scrushy, former CEO of HealthSouth (NYSE: HLS), has 20 years of illicit practices to his credit. Scrushy authorized the firing of whistle blowers, bribed and threatened HealthSouth execs and was complicit in illegal accounting practices. In November, 2003, Scrushy was indicted on charges of conspiracy, securities fraud, money laundering and mail fraud. However, the slippery Scrushy was acquitted on all charges in June, 2005. Less than four months later, he was indicted once again, this time on 30 counts of extortion, obstruction of justice, money laundering, racketeering and bribery. In June, 2007, Scrushy was finally sentenced to six years and 10 months in prison.<br>

    <a href=”http://247wallst.com/2012/05/17/top-ten-ceos-sent-to-prison” target=”_hplink”>Read more at 24/7 Wall St.</a>

  • 5. Bernard “Bernie” Ebbers

    > Company: WorldCom<br>
    > Current status of the company: Bankrupt and acquired<br>

    The fall of Bernard “Bernie” Ebbers, former CEO of WorldCom, began once the telecommunication company’s proposed merger with Sprint (NYSE: S) fell through in June 2000 due to antitrust laws. WorldCom’s stock subsequently plummeted and Ebbers and his executive team continued to rearrange the books to the tune of $11 billion in a desperate attempt to cover up losses. In 2002, the fraud was discovered by internal auditors and Ebbers ousted. In March 2005, Ebbers was convicted of conspiracy, securities fraud and seven counts of filing false reports with regulators. He’s currently serving a 25-year sentence in a Louisiana jail.<br>

    <a href=”http://247wallst.com/2012/05/17/top-ten-ceos-sent-to-prison” target=”_hplink”>Read more at 24/7 Wall St.</a>

  • 6. Jeffrey Skilling

    > Company: Enron<br>
    > Current status of the company: Dissolved<br>

    Along with Chairman Kenneth Lay, former Enron CEO Jeff Skilling was instrumental in the Enron mega-scandal. Skilling encouraged the use of mark-to-market accounting, which appraises holdings based on expected values. In Enron’s case, the lack of concrete pricing data for energy allowed it to act on overly optimistic forecasts. This accounting tactic resulted in Enron grossly overvaluing its holdings and sometimes even reporting gains on contracts that resulted in losses. Adding to his rap sheet, Skilling signed off on Chewco, a subsidiary of Enron that essentially served as a closet in which the company could stuff any debt it was trying to conceal. When Chewco’s accounting practices were discovered, Enron was forced to adjust the company’s books to reflect $405 million in additional losses; it was the beginning of the end. In May, 2006, Skilling was convicted of conspiracy, securities fraud and making false statements to auditors. He was sentenced to 24 years and four months in prison.<br>

    <a href=”http://247wallst.com/2012/05/17/top-ten-ceos-sent-to-prison” target=”_hplink”>Read more at 24/7 Wall St.</a>

  • 7. John Rigas

    > Company: Adelphia<br>
    > Current status of the company: Paying creditors before dissolving<br>

    In 2002, John Rigas was forced out of his position as CEO of cable provider Adelphia after being indicted of securities, bank, and wire fraud. Six other executives were also charged in the incident, including his two sons, Timothy and Michael. It became apparent during the trial that Rigas and his sons had used corporate funds for personal expenses. They had also concealed several billion dollars in owed loans. In 2003, a year after the incident began, Adelphia was still a member of the Fortune 500 companies. By 2006, the scandal had finally caught up with it, and the corporation had spiraled into bankruptcy as a direct result of the scandal. Rigas was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison, and is scheduled to be released in 2018.<br>

    <a href=”http://247wallst.com/2012/05/17/top-ten-ceos-sent-to-prison” target=”_hplink”>Read more at 24/7 Wall St.</a>

  • 8. Dennis Kozlowski

    > Company: Tyco<br>
    > Current status of the company: Still active<br>

    In 2002, CEO Dennis Kozlowski and chief financial officer Mark H. Swartz, were accused of illegally siphoning off roughly $600 million from Tyco (NYSE: TYC). Kozlowski is mostly famous for his unabashed opulent spending of the monies he stole, shelling out for $6,000 shower curtains, expensive artworks and lavish corporate parties. He also threw private parties at the company’s expense, including a Sardinia bash that included ice sculptures and a performance by Jimmy Buffett. Kozlowski was charged for receiving bonuses he claimed were paid at the direction of Tyco’s board of directors. A judge disagreed and in June, 2005, convicted Kozlowski of theft. He was sentenced to serve a minimum of eight years and four months and a maximum of 25 years.<br>

    <a href=”http://247wallst.com/2012/05/17/top-ten-ceos-sent-to-prison” target=”_hplink”>Read more at 24/7 Wall St.</a>

  • 9. Sanjay Kumar

    > Company: Computer Associates<br>
    > Current status of the company: Still active, renamed<br>

    Sanjay Kumar, former CEO of Computer Associates, led a $2.2 billion fraud at the company almost entirely via cooking the books. He and his fellow execs utilized sometimes comically simple tactics such backdating contracts and adding an extra week to the financial reporting period — “the 35-day month.” Kumar escaped prosecution for more than five years. His fraud started before 2000, but it was not until 2006 that he was finally indicted on charges of obstruction of justice and securities fraud. He was convicted and is currently serving a 12-year prison sentence.<br>

    <a href=”http://247wallst.com/2012/05/17/top-ten-ceos-sent-to-prison” target=”_hplink”>Read more at 24/7 Wall St.</a>

  • 10. Martha Stewart

    > Company: Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia<br>
    > Current status of the company: Still active<br>

    Implicated in the ImClone insider trading scandal, former Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia (NYSE: MSO) CEO Martha Stewart is the most famous entry on this list. Stewart’s troubles began Christmas Day, 2001. That is when Samuel D. Waksal, CEO of ImClone Systems, found out that the company’s experimental cancer drug Erbitux had been denied Food and Drug Administration approval. Waksal passed the information to friends and family, including his broker, Peter Bacanovic. He, in turn, tipped off Stewart, who dumped her shares before the news became public knowledge. Stewart was charged and ultimately convicted — not of insider trading, but of perjury. She was sentenced in July, 2004, to five months prison time and two years probation.<br>

    <a href=”http://247wallst.com/2012/05/17/top-ten-ceos-sent-to-prison” target=”_hplink”>Read more at 24/7 Wall St.</a>