the mayor of Jackson, Mississippi, and several other officials in the state’s capital city have been indicted this week over bribery charges.
Who Was Indicted
Federal charges were filed against Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba, Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens and Jackson City Council member Aaron B. Banks after two undercover FBI agents posed as real estate developers, according to court documents. The agents, claiming interest in building a hotel near the downtown convention center, reportedly made payments to officials, including a $50,000 contribution toward Lumumba’s reelection campaign.
Lumumba, Owens, and Banks were slated to appear Thursday before a magistrate judge for their initial hearings.
Lumumba and Banks have served since mid-2017, while Owens, elected in 2019, assumed office in 2020. All three officials are Democrats.
Mayor’s Response
In a video statement Wednesday, Lumumba announced his indictment, condemning it as a “political prosecution” aimed at undermining his 2025 reelection bid.
“My legal team has informed me that federal prosecutors have, in fact, indicted me on bribery and related charges,” Lumumba, who is an attorney, said in the video. “To be clear, I have never accepted a bribe of any type. As mayor, I have always acted in the best interests of the city of Jackson.”
Lumumba noted that his legal team will “vigorously defend me against these charges.”
“We believe this to be a political prosecution against me, designed to destroy my credibility and reputation within the community,” Lumumba said.
The Associated Press reached out to an attorney for Owens on Thursday.
The Indictment
Jackson City Council member Angelique Lee, a Democrat elected in 2020, resigned in August after pleading guilty to federal bribery charges stemming from the same FBI investigation. Her sentencing is set for November 13.
In May, FBI agents conducted raids on Owens’ office and a cigar lounge he owns in downtown Jackson. Inside the district attorney’s office, agents discovered a lockbox disguised as a book labeled “U.S. Constitution,” containing roughly $20,000 in cash. The indictment, recently unsealed, reveals that about $9,900 of this cash bore serial numbers matching funds provided to Owens by the undercover developers.
According to the indictment, Owens touted his sway over Jackson officials and “facilitated over $80,000 in bribe payments” to Lumumba, Banks and Lee, securing their support for the multimillion-dollar downtown development. The document also claims that Owens “solicited and accepted at least $115,000 in cash and promises of future financial benefits” from the undercover developers, leveraging his connections with Lumumba, Banks and Lee to serve as a go-between for the payments.
The newly unsealed indictments allege that Lumumba instructed a city employee to adjust a project deadline to benefit the developers, while Banks and Lee committed to supporting the proposal in council votes.
Sherik Marve Smith, an insurance broker and relative of Owens, pleaded guilty to a federal bribery charge on October 17, court documents reveal. As part of his plea, Smith agreed to forfeit $20,000 with sentencing scheduled for February 19.
According to the newly unsealed indictment, Owens, Lumumba, Smith, and the undercover FBI agents posing as developers flew to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in April on a private jet funded by the FBI.
While meeting aboard a yacht, where conversations were captured on audio and video, Lumumba reportedly accepted five campaign checks totaling $50,000. During the meeting, he called a Jackson city employee, directing them to adjust the deadline for project proposals near the convention center in a way that would likely eliminate competitors, giving the undercover developers an advantage.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.
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