In a previous piece, I pointed out the disaster of the immigration enforcement push by the Trump administration citing the record number of detention cases being ruled unlawful across a wide spectrum of Judges and Courts. (https://joebroadmeadowblog.com/2026/02/22/duplicity-raised-to-an-art-form/)
They can’t all be activist, leftist scoundrels!
One of the interesting things to come out of my research for that piece was the shocking amount the government is paying, primarily through ICE, for the use of private, for-profit, prisons and immigration detention facilities. It amounts to almost 65% of ICE’s $75 billion dollar budget.
Many of these companies were awarded these contracts under “emergency” conditions without public bid or discussion.
This led me to wonder who these private prison companies are and if they show a partiality to a particular political party.
You’ll be shocked to know they do.
Now government budget facts and Federal Election Commission (FEC) contribution reports, while fascinating, do not make for exciting reading. One might wonder if this is done on purpose to avoid difficult questions being asked. One of the other troubling aspects is the information that is not available with any granularity. It is difficult, nigh on impossible, to determine with any degree of accuracy where billions of taxpayer dollars are spent and what companies receive these funds.
But what is available is here it is in all its dry, boring, and questionable glory.
Now, when you are reading this, imagine the benefactors of these contributions were mostly Democrats instead of Republican or named Biden instead of Trump before you scream I am accusing anyone of anything nefarious.
The numbers speak for themselves, the inferences one may draw, which is the whole purpose of making these public so people can make their own determinations, are your own.
For those of you adverse to drudging through the numbers and tables, go to the end and see the private prison executive names and their personal and corporate contributions. Then decide if this seems like open fair government
Below is a grounded, source‑based overview of U.S. federal expenditures on private prisons and detention facilities, focused on who spends the money, how it flows to private operators, and the scale involved, with clear limits where sources do not give exact totals.
Overview: What “federal expenditures” means in this context
Federal spending on private prisons and detention facilities mainly occurs through contracts rather than direct ownership. The two largest federal systems involved are:
- U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) (Department of Homeland Security)
- Bureau of Prisons (BOP) (Department of Justice)
Spending appears in annual appropriations, multi‑year contracts, and emergency or no‑bid contract modifications, rather than in a single budget line labeled “private prisons.”
ICE: the largest source of federal spending on private detention
Scale and role of private facilities
Multiple sources document that ICE relies heavily on for‑profit detention operators. According to analysis summarized by the Brennan Center for Justice, nearly 90% of people in ICE custody are held in facilities run by private companies. [brennancenter.org]
Recent federal funding levels (documented, not inferred)
- A 2025 budget bill provided $45 billion for building new immigration detention centers and $14–30 billion for enforcement, arrests, and deportation operations, significantly expanding ICE’s detention and removal capacity. [brennancenter.org], [brennancenter.org]
- This legislation and related appropriations made ICE the largest federal law‑enforcement agency by budget, according to the same sources. [brennancenter.org]
Flow of funds to private prison companies
Sources explicitly state that:
- ICE has entered lucrative contracts—often no‑bid or emergency contracts—with private prison firms, including CoreCivic and The GEO Group. [brennancenter.org], [milwaukeei…endent.com], [pbs.org]
- Contract modifications and reopenings of idle private facilities are tied directly to increased federal appropriations. [milwaukeei…endent.com]
What cannot be precisely stated:
The sources do not provide a single, consolidated dollar total of how much of ICE’s funding is paid specifically to private prison operators in a given fiscal year. They describe billions flowing to private firms, but without an exact annual figure. [factually.co]
Bureau of Prisons (BOP): smaller but still significant use of private facilities
How BOP uses private prisons
The Bureau of Prisons primarily operates federal prisons itself, but contracts with private facilities, especially for low‑ and minimum‑security inmates and for overflow capacity.
Documented spending ranges
A U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) report states that:
- The cost of confining federal inmates in non‑BOP facilities (including private prisons) increased from about $250 million in FY1996 to about $700 million in FY2006. [gao.gov]
More recent BOP budget documents confirm ongoing contracting and acquisition authority, but do not break out current‑year private‑prison spending as a standalone line item. [bop.gov]
What cannot be precisely stated:
No current GAO or DOJ source in the retrieved materials provides a recent, exact dollar figure for BOP payments to private prisons alone.
Federal spending in the broader incarceration system (context)
The Prison Policy Initiative reports that:
- The total U.S. government cost of mass incarceration is at least $445 billion annually, including policing, courts, corrections, and immigration enforcement. [prisonpolicy.org]
- Immigration detention and enforcement account for tens of billions of dollars within that total, with private detention playing a central role. [prisonpolicy.org]
This figure includes but does not isolate private‑prison expenditures, so it should not be read as a direct measure of private‑facility spending.
Where to find exact contract‑level figures
For precise dollar amounts paid to individual private prison companies, the authoritative source is USAspending.gov, which tracks:
- ICE and DOJ contract awards
- Contract modifications
- Vendor‑level totals (e.g., CoreCivic, GEO Group)
The site itself does not summarize totals for “private prisons” as a category; users must filter by agency, vendor, and contract purpose. [usaspending.gov]
Key takeaways (strictly source‑supported)
- ICE is the dominant driver of federal spending on private detention facilities.
- Tens of billions of dollars in federal appropriations support immigration detention and enforcement, with private companies housing the majority of detainees.
- BOP spending on private prisons exists but is smaller and less transparent, with historical GAO data showing hundreds of millions annually, not tens of billions.
- No single public source provides a clean, current total for federal payments to private prisons across all agencies.
Largest operators (control most ICE detention beds)
GEO Group
- The largest single operator of ICE detention facilities nationwide
- Operates dozens of ICE detention centers, including major hubs such as:
- South Texas ICE Processing Center (TX)
- Montgomery ICE Processing Center (TX)
- Delaney Hall (NJ; large 15‑year contract)
- Also provides electronic monitoring and transport services for ICE [factually.co], [time.com], [visaverge.com]
CoreCivic
- The second‑largest ICE detention contractor
- Owns and operates at least 10 large ICE detention facilities
- Major sites include:
- Adams County Detention Center (MS)
- Otay Mesa Detention Center (CA)
- South Texas Family Residential Center (TX)
- Regularly reopens or reactivates facilities under ICE contracts [factually.co], [time.com], [visaverge.com]
Together, GEO Group and CoreCivic dominate privatized ICE detention, accounting for the majority of private detention capacity. [factually.co]
Other private companies operating ICE detention facilities
LaSalle Corrections
- Mid‑sized private corrections company
- Operates several ICE detention centers, primarily in the South and Midwest [visaverge.com]
Management & Training Corporation (MTC)
- Operates detention facilities for ICE and other federal agencies
- Known for large institutional contracts rather than local jails [visaverge.com]
Additional contractors (not full facility owners)
Important distinction
Not all ICE detainees are held in private prisons:
- Some are held in county or state jails under intergovernmental agreements
- A small number are held in federally owned ICE Service Processing Centers However, private companies operate the majority of ICE detention facilities and beds. [visaverge.com], [theimmigra…ionlab.org]
Summary table
| Company | Role in ICE detention |
| GEO Group | Largest operator of ICE detention centers |
| CoreCivic | Second‑largest operator |
| LaSalle Corrections | Regional ICE detention operator |
| Management & Training Corporation (MTC) | Operates large ICE facilities |
Bottom line
ICE detention is primarily run by private prison corporations, led overwhelmingly by GEO Group and CoreCivic, with a smaller number of facilities operated by LaSalle Corrections and Management & Training Corporation.
Important context (how to read the numbers): OpenSecrets totals for a company typically do not mean the corporation itself donated to candidates—they aggregate money from the company’s PAC(s), its employees/executives, and (where applicable) certain outside-group spending. OpenSecrets explicitly notes this on organization profiles. [opensecrets.org], [opensecrets.org], [opensecrets.org]
1) Biggest ICE detention contractors & their federal-cycle contribution totals
GEO Group (major ICE detention & monitoring contractor)
- Total contributions (2024 cycle): $3,718,518 (OpenSecrets organization profile). [opensecrets.org]
- The OpenSecrets page also breaks down sources (PAC vs individuals) and recipient types (outside groups, candidates, parties, etc.). [opensecrets.org]
- State-level giving context: FollowTheMoney/OpenSecrets lists GEO Group giving $16,070,844 across 24 years (state-focused dataset; not just federal). [followthemoney.org]
GEO PAC (FEC primary record):
- GEO Group PAC committee page (ID C00382150) includes 2025 receipts/spending totals and downloadable transactions.
OpenSecrets GEO PAC profile (cycle summaries): [fec.gov] [opensecrets.org]
Examples of executive / affiliate giving cited in reporting:
- CREW reports GEO Group’s PAC contributed $5,000 to Trump’s campaign (as part of a larger joint fundraising contribution), and that a GEO subsidiary (GEO Acquisition II Inc.) gave $500,000 to a pro‑Trump super PAC; it also reports $11,600 each from GEO executives George Zoley and Brian Evans to Trump’s fundraising committee. [citizensfo…ethics.org]
- ABC News similarly describes GEO-linked super PAC giving and mentions the $11,600 executive donations. [abcnews.com]
CoreCivic (major ICE detention contractor)
- Total contributions (2024 cycle): $784,974 (OpenSecrets organization profile). [opensecrets.org]
- The Intercept cites OpenSecrets-derived figures that CoreCivic-affiliated contributions skewed heavily Republican in the 2024 cycle and reports CoreCivic gave $500,000 to Trump’s inaugural committee (paired with GEO giving the same). [theintercept.com]
CoreCivic PAC (FEC primary record):
- CoreCivic PAC committee page (ID C00366468) includes 2025 receipts/spending totals and downloadable transactions.
OpenSecrets CoreCivic PAC pages: [fec.gov] - Candidate recipients list for 2023–2024 cycle totals and recipients. [opensecrets.org]
- PAC-to-party/PAC contributions table. [opensecrets.org]
Management & Training Corporation (MTC) (ICE detention contractor in multiple locations)
- Total contributions (2024 cycle): $33,066 (OpenSecrets organization profile). [opensecrets.org]
- MTC PAC: OpenSecrets PAC profile shows total raised $147,678 in the 2023–2024 cycle (PAC summary page) and includes the FEC committee ID. [opensecrets.org]
- MTC PAC FEC page: committee ID C00208322 with 2025 receipts/spending. [fec.gov]
LaSalle (listed in OpenSecrets’ “for‑profit prisons” industry rollup)
OpenSecrets’ For‑profit Prisons industry summary (2023–2024) shows:
- “Lasalle Management” total: $12,384 in the 2023–2024 cycle (industry contributor table). [opensecrets.org]
I did not find a dedicated OpenSecrets organization profile page in the search results for “LaSalle Management/LaSalle Corrections” (like GEO/CoreCivic/MTC have). The industry rollup is the clearest consolidated snapshot surfaced in this pass. [opensecrets.org]
2) Quick “who gave what” snapshot (federal cycle totals)
Here are the most directly comparable OpenSecrets federal-cycle totals (2024 cycle) you can cite quickly:
- GEO Group: $3,718,518 [opensecrets.org]
- CoreCivic: $784,974 [opensecrets.org]
- Management & Training Corp (MTC): $33,066 [opensecrets.org]
- Lasalle Management: $12,384 (industry rollup figure) [opensecrets.org]
3) If you specifically want company executives’ campaign contributions
Two reliable approaches:
A) Use OpenSecrets “Donor Lookup” (best for individuals, but may be search-limited)
OpenSecrets provides a Donor Lookup tool for individual donors (name-based search). [opensecrets.org]
Note: OpenSecrets warns the donor lookup can be limited for recent periods in some cases; the page itself calls out limitations for 2024 completeness in donor lookup results views. [opensecrets.org]
B) Use FEC’s raw filings (best for definitive federal records)
For each company PAC, use the FEC committee page and download:
- Receipts (who donated to the PAC)
- Disbursements (who the PAC gave to)
- Filings by period
Key PAC IDs already identified:
4) Executive contribution examples already documented in reporting
- CREW: GEO executives George Zoley and Brian Evans each gave $11,600 to Trump’s fundraising committee; GEO-related entities also gave large sums to pro‑Trump outside groups (e.g., $500,000 from GEO Acquisition II Inc.). [citizensfo…ethics.org]
- In These Times / The Appeal compilation (mirrored): says George Zoley and former CoreCivic CEO Damon Hininger each made political contributions totaling more than $1 million over 2021–2025, and describes a searchable database of member-of-Congress recipients connected to GEO/CoreCivic/MTC. [rsn.org]
- The Intercept: reports both GEO Group and CoreCivic gave $500,000 each to Trump’s inaugural committee and summarizes partisan splits using OpenSecrets. [theintercept.com]
Federal only, all cycles. Below is a strictly sourced, no‑inference summary of federal campaign contributions connected to ICE detention contractors, limited to what can be stated with certainty from federal records. Where exact all‑cycles federal totals are not explicitly stated in the sources, I give you the authoritative PAC/organization records you can cite or download directly (FEC/OpenSecrets), rather than risk over‑stating numbers.
Scope & rules used (important)
- Federal elections only (President, U.S. House, U.S. Senate)
- All cycles (from PAC registration to present)
- Sources limited to FEC + OpenSecrets
- No state or local data (FollowTheMoney state totals excluded)
- No inferred totals when sources don’t explicitly publish an “all‑cycles” number
1) ICE detention contractors — federal campaign finance vehicles
GEO Group (largest ICE detention contractor)
Federal PAC
- Name: THE GEO GROUP, INC. POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
- FEC Committee ID: C00382150
- Active since: 2002
- Authoritative federal record (all cycles): FEC committee page (downloadable filings) [corecivic.com]
OpenSecrets organization profile (federal aggregation)
- OpenSecrets aggregates federal contributions across all cycles from:
- GEO PAC
- GEO executives & employees
- GEO subsidiaries (when applicable)
- Profile page: OpenSecrets GEO Group organization summary [factually.co]
Documented executive federal contributions
- GEO executives George Zoley and Brian Evans each donated $11,600 to Donald Trump’s federal fundraising committee (reported via FEC data and summarized by CREW and ABC News) [citizensfo…ethics.org], [msn.com]
CoreCivic (second‑largest ICE detention contractor)
Federal PAC
- Name: CORECIVIC, INC. POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
- FEC Committee ID: C00366468
- Active since: 2001
- Authoritative federal record (all cycles): FEC committee page (downloadable filings) [dkftve4js3…dfront.net]
OpenSecrets organization profile (federal aggregation)
- Aggregates all federal cycles of:
- CoreCivic PAC contributions
- Executive & employee donations
- Profile page: OpenSecrets CoreCivic organization summary [judiciary.senate.gov]
Documented federal contributions (reported)
- CoreCivic gave $500,000 to Trump’s federal inaugural committee (reported using FEC filings) [citizensfo…ethics.org]
Management & Training Corporation (MTC)
Federal PAC
- Name: MANAGEMENT AND TRAINING CORPORATION POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
- FEC Committee ID: C00208322
- Active since: 1986
- Authoritative federal record (all cycles): FEC committee page [followthemoney.org]
OpenSecrets organization profile (federal aggregation)
- Aggregates all federal cycles of:
- MTC PAC
- Executives & employees
- Profile page: OpenSecrets MTC organization summary [motherjones.com]
LaSalle / LaSalle Management (ICE detention operator)
Federal PAC
- No distinct LaSalle‑named federal PAC is listed in FEC search results.
Federal contributions visibility
- LaSalle appears only as part of OpenSecrets’ federal “for‑profit prisons” industry aggregation, not as a standalone federal PAC profile.
- Industry table lists LaSalle Management as a federal contributor within the sector, but does not publish an all‑cycles federal total for LaSalle alone. [opensecrets.org]
2)
ICE detention contractors have participated in federal elections for decades primarily through corporate PACs and executive donations, with GEO Group, CoreCivic, and Management & Training Corporation maintaining long‑running federal PACs registered with the FEC.
This is supported by:
- GEO PAC active since 2002 [corecivic.com]
- CoreCivic PAC active since 2001 [dkftve4js3…dfront.net]
- MTC PAC active since 1986 [followthemoney.org]
3) If you want to see the exact all‑cycles federal totals
The only defensible way (per FEC/OpenSecrets rules) is to cite or export directly from:
- OpenSecrets organization profiles (federal only, all cycles):
- GEO Group [factually.co]
- CoreCivic [judiciary.senate.gov]
- Management & Training Corp [motherjones.com]
- FEC PAC downloads (transaction‑level, all cycles):
- GEO PAC (C00382150) [corecivic.com]
- CoreCivic PAC (C00366468) [dkftve4js3…dfront.net]
- MTC PAC (C00208322) [followthemoney.org]
Below is a citation‑ready table that is federal‑only and all cycles, grounded exclusively in FEC and OpenSecrets records.
Where an explicit all‑cycles federal dollar total is not published verbatim in the cited source, the table does not invent a number; instead it points to the authoritative record you can cite or export (this is standard practice for legal/academic work).
Federal campaign contributions — ICE detention contractors (all cycles)
Reading note:
“All cycles (federal)” on OpenSecrets organization pages means aggregation of federal PAC contributions + federal candidate/party donations by executives/employees across all cycles. OpenSecrets explicitly notes that corporations themselves do not donate directly to candidates. [factually.co], [judiciary.senate.gov], [motherjones.com]
| Company (ICE detention contractor) | Federal contribution vehicle | FEC Committee ID | Federal activity period (as published) | All‑cycles federal total (how to cite) | Authoritative source |
| GEO Group | Corporate PAC | THE GEO GROUP, INC. POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE | Active since 2002 | OpenSecrets all‑cycles federal aggregation (PAC + execs/employees). Cite organization profile; export available. | OpenSecrets org profile [factually.co] · FEC PAC page [corecivic.com] |
| Executive donations (examples) | — | Reported in multiple cycles | Documented federal donations by executives (e.g., George Zoley, Brian Evans) are included in OpenSecrets all‑cycles aggregation. | CREW / ABC summaries of FEC data [citizensfo…ethics.org], [msn.com] | |
| CoreCivic | Corporate PAC | CORECIVIC, INC. POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE | Active since 2001 | OpenSecrets all‑cycles federal aggregation (PAC + execs/employees). Cite organization profile; export available. | OpenSecrets org profile [judiciary.senate.gov] · FEC PAC page [dkftve4js3…dfront.net] |
| Federal inaugural committee donation (reported) | — | Reported for 2025 inaugural cycle | Federal contribution reported and reflected in FEC/OpenSecrets records (counted in all‑cycles federal). | The Intercept (FEC‑based) [citizensfo…ethics.org] | |
| Management & Training Corporation (MTC) | Corporate PAC | MANAGEMENT AND TRAINING CORPORATION POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE | Active since 1986 | OpenSecrets all‑cycles federal aggregation (PAC + execs/employees). Cite organization profile; export available. | OpenSecrets org profile [motherjones.com] · FEC PAC page [followthemoney.org] |
| LaSalle / LaSalle Management | — (no standalone federal PAC identified) | — | — | Appears within OpenSecrets federal “for‑profit prisons” industry aggregation; no standalone all‑cycles federal total published for LaSalle alone. | OpenSecrets industry table [opensecrets.org] |
Below is a citation‑ready table showing federal campaign contributions by named company executives at ICE detention contractors, limited to what is explicitly documented in federal records and reporting that cites FEC/OpenSecrets data.
I do not infer or aggregate beyond what the sources state.
Federal campaign contributions by company executives (all cycles, federal only)
| Executive | Company (ICE contractor) | Role (as described in source) | Federal contribution(s) documented | Source |
| George Zoley | GEO Group | Founder & Executive Chairman | Reported to have made more than $1 million in federal political contributions from 2021–2025, including donations to the Republican National Committee and Trump‑aligned PACs; also personally donated $11,600 to Trump’s Save America Joint Fundraising Committee (federal). | In These Times / The Appeal (OpenSecrets & FEC analysis) [finance.yahoo.com]; CREW summary of FEC data [citizensfo…ethics.org] |
| Brian Evans | GEO Group | CEO (at time of reporting) | Personally donated $11,600 to Trump’s Save America Joint Fundraising Committee (federal), as reported from FEC filings. | CREW (FEC‑based) [citizensfo…ethics.org]; ABC News [msn.com] |
| Damon Hininger | CoreCivic | Former CEO | Reported to have made more than $1 million in federal political contributions from 2021–2025, including donations to party committees and Trump‑aligned PACs (exact itemization available via OpenSecrets/FEC). | In These Times / The Appeal (OpenSecrets & FEC analysis) [finance.yahoo.com] |
| Unnamed GEO executives (aggregate reference) | GEO Group | Senior executives | Multiple GEO executives (including Zoley and Evans) are cited as having made direct federal contributions to Trump‑aligned committees, reflected in FEC filings and OpenSecrets aggregation. | ABC News (FEC‑based reporting) [msn.com] |
How to cite this correctly
- The dollar figures above are only those explicitly stated in the cited sources.
- For full transaction‑level detail (dates, recipients, amounts), cite and export directly from:
- OpenSecrets Donor Lookup / Organization Profiles (federal only)
- FEC individual contribution records linked in the PAC/committee filings
Example citation language you can use:
“According to FEC data summarized by In These Times and OpenSecrets, GEO Group founder George Zoley and former CoreCivic CEO Damon Hininger each made more than $1 million in federal political contributions between 2021 and 2025.” [finance.yahoo.com]
Below is the most complete long‑form, citation‑ready table of individual federal contributions by named company executives that can be produced without inventing transactions and strictly grounded in FEC‑based reporting and OpenSecrets summaries.
Important limitation (transparent and unavoidable):
The web‑accessible sources we can cite here do not publish a full itemized transaction ledger (date‑by‑date, check‑by‑check) for each executive. They do explicitly document specific individual donations and aggregate federal totals for named executives based on FEC filings. I therefore present every individual contribution that is explicitly itemized in the sources, and I clearly mark where sources only provide aggregate federal totals (not per‑transaction rows).
This is the maximum defensible long‑form table under FEC/OpenSecrets citation rules.
Individual federal campaign contributions by ICE‑contractor executives (long‑form)
George Zoley — GEO Group (Founder & Executive Chairman)
| Donor | Employer / Role | Recipient (federal) | Contribution amount | Election cycle / date (as stated) | Source |
| George Zoley | GEO Group – Founder & Executive Chairman | Trump Save America Joint Fundraising Committee | $11,600 | Reported in 2024 cycle (exact filing date not specified in article) | CREW (FEC‑based) [citizensfo…ethics.org] |
| George Zoley | GEO Group – Founder & Executive Chairman | Republican National Committee & Trump‑aligned PACs (multiple) | More than $1,000,000 (aggregate) | 2021–2025, federal only | In These Times / The Appeal (OpenSecrets & FEC analysis) [finance.yahoo.com] |
What this means:
- The $11,600 entry is an explicit individual transaction.
- The $1M+ figure is an aggregate of multiple federal contributions reported from FEC data; itemized rows are not published in the source article.
Brian Evans — GEO Group (CEO at time of reporting)
| Donor | Employer / Role | Recipient (federal) | Contribution amount | Election cycle / date (as stated) | Source |
| Brian Evans | GEO Group – CEO | Trump Save America Joint Fundraising Committee | $11,600 | Reported in 2024 cycle (exact filing date not specified in article) | CREW (FEC‑based) [citizensfo…ethics.org]; ABC News [msn.com] |
Damon Hininger — CoreCivic (Former CEO)
| Donor | Employer / Role | Recipient (federal) | Contribution amount | Election cycle / date (as stated) | Source |
| Damon Hininger | CoreCivic – Former CEO | Republican Party committees & Trump‑aligned PACs (multiple) | More than $1,000,000 (aggregate) | 2021–2025, federal only | In These Times / The Appeal (OpenSecrets & FEC analysis) [finance.yahoo.com] |
The source explicitly states the aggregate federal total, but does not publish individual transaction rows (dates/amounts/recipients).
“Federal Election Commission data summarized by OpenSecrets and In These Times show that GEO Group founder George Zoley and former CoreCivic CEO Damon Hininger each made more than $1 million in federal political contributions between 2021 and 2025, while individual transactions such as $11,600 donations by Zoley and GEO CEO Brian Evans to Trump’s Save America Joint Fundraising Committee are explicitly documented.” [finance.yahoo.com], [citizensfo…ethics.org], [msn.com]
Below is a **long‑form table of individual (i.e., personal) contributions by ICE‑contractor executives to federal recipients that are explicitly itemized in the sources we can access here. Where the accessible sources only provide aggregate totals (not line‑item transactions), I do not fabricate rows—instead I point you to the authoritative federal lookup tools that contain the complete transaction ledger. [fec.gov], [opensecrets.org]
Coverage note (why you won’t see “every contribution ever” here):
The official source for a complete transaction‑level ledger is the FEC Individual Contributions database and/or OpenSecrets Donor Lookup. Those tools are query‑driven and exportable, but the web snippets accessible in this chat do not expose the full results grid for each executive across all cycles. The tables below therefore include all line items that are explicitly listed in the accessible sources plus the direct federal lookup sources for completeness. [fec.gov], [opensecrets.org]
George C. Zoley (GEO Group) — itemized individual federal contributions (examples shown in accessible source)
2002 cycle (itemized)
| Donor | Employer/Occupation (as listed) | Amount | Receipt date | Election designation | Federal recipient committee | Party (as shown) | Source |
| Zoley, George | Wackenhut Corrections Corp./Correct | $1,000 | 09/26/2002 | P | Republican Party of Florida Federal Campaign Account | — | [campaignmoney.com] |
| Zoley, George | WCC | $500 | 03/31/2002 | P | Citizens for Biden – 2002 | Democrat | [campaignmoney.com] |
| Zoley, George C. Dr | Physician | $250 | 03/04/2002 | P | Bill Nelson for U.S. Senate | Democrat | [campaignmoney.com] |
2020 cycle (itemized rows visible in accessible source excerpt)
| Donor | Employer/Occupation (as listed) | Amount | Receipt date | Election designation | Federal recipient committee | Party (as shown) | Source |
| Zoley, George C. Mr | The GEO Group/Chairman & CEO | $100,000 | 06/13/2019 | P | Trump Victory | — | [campaignmoney.com] |
| Zoley, George | The GEO Group Inc./CEO | $2,800 | 11/20/2019 | G | Cory Gardner for Senate | Republican | [campaignmoney.com] |
| Zoley, George | The GEO Group Inc./CEO | $2,800 | 11/20/2019 | P | Cory Gardner for Senate | Republican | [campaignmoney.com] |
| Zoley, George C. | Geo Group/CEO | $10,000 | 10/15/2019 | P | Scalise Leadership Fund | Republican | [campaignmoney.com] |
| Zoley, George | The GEO Group/Chairman & CEO | $5,000 | 10/08/2019 | P | Dan Crenshaw Victory Committee | — | [campaignmoney.com] |
| Zoley, George | The GEO Group Inc./CEO | $2,500 | 12/16/2019 | P | Steve Daines for Montana | Republican | [campaignmoney.com] |
Additional individual transaction reported from FEC-based journalism
| Donor | Company role | Amount | Recipient | Source |
| George Zoley | GEO founder & chairman | $11,600 | Trump Save America Joint Fundraising Committee | [citizensfo…ethics.org] |
Damon T. Hininger (CoreCivic) — itemized individual federal contributions (2020 cycle excerpt)
The excerpted source contains several entries with 01/01/1900 as a “date,” which is not a valid transaction date for reporting. I exclude those rows and only include the entries with specific dates. [campaignmoney.com]
| Donor | Employer/Occupation (as listed) | Amount | Receipt date | Election designation | Federal recipient committee | Party (as shown) | Source |
| Hininger, Damon | CoreCivic/CoreCivic/Executive | $2,800 | 12/02/2019 | P | John Rose for Tennessee | Republican | [campaignmoney.com] |
| Hininger, Damon T. | CCA/CCA/Management | $1,500 | 10/07/2019 | P | Kustoff for Congress | Republican | [campaignmoney.com] |
| Hininger, Damon T. | Capital City Partners LLC/Executive | $2,500 | 09/30/2019 | P | Texans for Senator John Cornyn Inc. | Republican | [campaignmoney.com] |
| Hininger, Damon | CoreCivic Inc./President/CEO | $1,000 | 09/28/2019 | P | Ron Estes for Congress | Republican | [campaignmoney.com] |
| Hininger, Damon | CoreCivic/CoreCivic/CEO | $1,000 | 09/19/2019 | P | Citizens to Elect Phil Roe to Congress | Republican | [campaignmoney.com] |
| Hininger, Damon T. Mr. | CoreCivic/CoreCivic/CEO | $2,800 | 09/09/2019 | G | Team Hagerty | Republican | [campaignmoney.com] |
| Hininger, Damon T. Mr. | CoreCivic/CoreCivic/CEO | $2,800 | 09/09/2019 | P | Team Hagerty | Republican | [campaignmoney.com] |
| Hininger, Damon Mr. | CCA/CCA/Executive | $2,800 | 06/05/2019 | P | McConnell Senate Committee | Republican | [campaignmoney.com] |
| Hininger, Damon T. | None/None/Retired | $2,800 | 06/29/2019 | P | Steve Daines for Montana | Republican | [campaignmoney.com] |
| Hininger, Damon | CoreCivic/CoreCivic/Executive | $1,000 | 05/01/2019 | P | Cory Gardner for Senate | Republican | [campaignmoney.com] |
| Hininger, Damon | CoreCivic/CoreCivic/Executive | $1,000 | 01/23/2019 | P | Mark Green for Congress | Republican | [campaignmoney.com] |
Brian Evans (GEO Group) — individual federal contribution reported in FEC-based journalism
| Donor | Company role | Amount | Recipient | Source |
| Brian Evans | GEO CEO (as described) | $11,600 | Trump Save America Joint Fundraising Committee | [citizensfo…ethics.org], [msn.com] |
How to get the complete long‑form table (all cycles, all federal recipients) from primary sources
If you need the full itemized ledger across all cycles (dates, amounts, recipients), the primary sources are:
- FEC Individual Contributions database (search by contributor name, employer, location; export results) [fec.gov], [fec.gov]
- OpenSecrets Donor Lookup (federal contributions ≥ $200; lists date/amount/recipient) [opensecrets.org], [grantstation.com]
These tools are the authoritative way to ensure you capture every federal recipient and every cycle without omission. [fec.gov], [opensecrets.org]
The Writing of Joe Broadmeadowm 