Fact-check · Oct 30, 2026 · Scott Bessent
“$420,000,000 overpayment for a prison in Appleton, Minnesota when the company offered it to the state of Minnesota for 75,000,000”
TRUE
What the record shows
DHS purchased Prairie Correctional Facility in Appleton for $495.6 million in August 2026; CoreCivic had offered it to Minnesota for $75 million in May 2025. Price difference: $420.6 million.
KARE 11 obtained records confirming CoreCivic's $75M offer to Minnesota and DHS's $495.6M purchase. Math is correct: $495.6M - $75M = $420.6M.
Sources
- ICE paid private prison firm $495M for Appleton site that had been offered to state for $75M - Bring Me The News
- KARE 11 Investigates: Private prison was on sale for $75 million; ICE paid $495 million
- Homeland Security buys former prison in west-central Minnesota for $500 million
- Fart of the Deal: Company Offered MN Prison for $75M; ICE Paid $495M a Year Later - Racket
- ICE Paid $495M For Private Prison Offered At $75M - Joe.My.God.
- MN AG Keith Ellison says Congress should investigate Federal Government’s purchase of Appleton Prison
From: Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent Holds a Fraud Task Force Press Conference in St. Cloud, MN
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