Illinois corrections sued for missing prison buses payment

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) - The Illinois Department of Corrections is being sued by a finance company for missing an annual payment on four prisoner transport buses.

The lawsuit filed Thursday by Wells Fargo Equipment Finance Inc. says the state agency has neither made the payment that was due last fall nor met its demands that the state turn the buses over to the company.

The (Springfield) State Journal-Register reports that corrections department spokeswoman Lindsey Hess says the agency submitted a voucher for the $580,000 payment to state Comptroller Susana Mendoza's office in January.

Mendoza's office says corrections officials haven't said the payment is a priority and the office was unaware of the lawsuit.

The suit says Illinois began leasing the buses in 2014 under an agreement calling for four annual lease payments of $580,000.

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Information from: The State Journal-Register, http://www.sj-r.com