Mississippi's mayor faces political indictment on bribery charges

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) – The mayor of Mississippi's capital city said Wednesday that he has been indicted in an alleged bribery operation, saying it was a “political prosecution” designed to hurt his campaign for re-election in 2025.

“My legal team has informed me that federal prosecutors have indeed charged me with bribery and related charges,” Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba said in a video statement Wednesday, WJTV-TV and other news outlets reported. “To be clear: I have never accepted bribes of any kind. As mayor, I have always acted in the best interests of the city of Jackson.”

Lumumba, a Democrat, has been mayor since 2017. An indictment was not immediately available in federal court electronic files Wednesday.

The charges were filed after undercover FBI agents posing as real estate investors summoned the mayor to a fundraiser in Ft. had invited. Lauderdale, Fla., on April 3, WLBT-TV reported. The agents said they wanted to develop real estate in downtown Jackson and help finance the mayor's re-election campaign.

Jackson City Council member Angelique Lee, a Democrat, resigned in August and pleaded guilty to federal bribery charges stemming from the same FBI investigation.

Lumumba said his legal team will “vigorously defend me against these allegations.”

“We believe this is a political prosecution against me primarily aimed at destroying my credibility and reputation within the community,” he said.

Jackson City Council President Virgi Lindsay released a statement urging Jackson residents to be patient following the mayor's indictment, WAPT-TV reported.

“I remember that the presumption of innocence is a fundamental principle of our criminal justice system,” said Lindsay, a Democrat. “That is why I will remain steadfastly focused on the work of our City Council and trust that the legal system can thrive outside of it.”