TOPEKA — A prison inmate who worked as a confidential informant during a 2015 corruption investigation at Lansing Correctional Facility settled a federal lawsuit with the state of Kansas after a staff member revealed his secret cooperation.

Justin Jade Collins was outed the first time during an LCF employee’s civil service appeal despite the Kansas Department of Corrections’ assurances his anonymity would be maintained. Collins alleged in his suit that he provided information leading to administrative action against “several staff and inmates” at Lansing who interacted with organized criminal groups who posed a security threat to the prison.

Collins filed the lawsuit in 2017 due to threats against his well-being by inmates that included the Gangster Disciples, Bloods, Crips and others. He sued KDOC officials in U.S. District Court for alleged violation of the Eighth Amendment right to humane conditions of confinement.

The issue temporarily became moot when Collins was transferred to a Missouri facility and released from incarceration in 2020. Upon returning to prison in 2022, court documents indicated he was given the choice of being held at state facilities in Ellsworth or Larned. Within days of arriving at Larned, he allegedly was targeted by gangs. In 2023, a Larned corrections officer allegedly yelled down a hallway to other inmates that Collins “was a confidential informant/snitch.”

KDOC’s records indicated Collins was transferred in May 2023 to an out-of-state placement — which is what he originally sought in federal court in 2017.

The State Finance Council, which includes Gov. Laura Kelly, Senate President Ty Masterson, House Speaker Dan Hawkins and other legislative leaders, met in an executive session to discuss a settlement of the lawsuit recommended by Attorney General Kris Kobach.

The council members voted, without comment during the public portion of the meeting, to pay $4,000 to Collins to end the case.

Collins, 39, has served prison time for forgery, assault, theft, aggravated battery and drug trafficking. KDOC records show he was held in state prison as early as 2007.

Meanwhile, members of the council also agreed to sell two residential properties in Hutchinson located near the Kansas State Fairgrounds. The homes had been purchased under a plan to create a parking lot for use by fair customers. The cost of real estate made a parking lot expansion unworkable.

Paul Fernkopf, of the Kansas Department of Administration, said the houses appraised at about $85,000 each were deemed surplus property and sold for a total of $137,000.

“The auctioneer, Department of Administration and the State Fair agreed that we received the best value we could,” Fernkopf said.