Federal court officials have denied The Des Moines Register's requests for information on how much money has been repaid by four people sent to prison in a pay scandal at a government-funded, job-training agency.

Officials cited privacy issues in refusing to divulge payments made in the Central Iowa Employment and Training Consortium case, in which $2.5 million in public funds was misspent on excessive salaries and bonuses for administrators between 2003 and 2006, the newspaper reported Sunday.

Ramona Cunningham, Karen Tesdell, John Bargman and Archie Brooks were ordered to pay restitution as part of their sentences.

"Information on how much has been paid pursuant to a federal court restitution order is not considered public information," said Karen Redmond, spokeswoman for the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. "As a matter of practice, it is considered internal court information and as a result is not publicly disclosed."