Prison Industries moves to seize Alpine Steel property

Prison Industries has won a summary judgment against Alpine Steel for the $428,208 it owes both the Department of Corrections and the inmates who worked for the company at High Desert State Prison.

It was closed down in December after it was discovered Alpine wasn’t paying what it owed the prison program. That move followed a series of negotiations in which the state worked out an agreement in which Alpine would pay $5,000 a month and a balloon payment of at least $20,000 twice a year.

Deputy Director of Corrections Brian Connett told the legislative Prison Industries Committee on Friday that the company defaulted, so the state went back to court and got a lien against all of Alpine’s property and followed up most recently by asking and getting a summary judgment against the Las Vegas company.

He said the judgment includes back rent, utilities, worker’s compensation payments, money owed to inmates and interest that is accumulating at 1.5 percent per month.

While he said the prison system still has a substantial amount of Alpine’s equipment and tools, he doesn’t know how much that is worth. He said the controller’s office is pursuing getting payment for the state while the Attorney General’s Office handles the legal issues.