Jackson Mayor Lumumba, District Attorney Owens and Councilman Banks are charged with bribery

In a widening corruption scandal in Jackson, Mississippi, three local leaders have been indicted on federal charges, including the mayor, district attorney and a city councilman.

Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba, County Councilman Aaron Banks and Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens are scheduled to appear at the Thad Cochran United States Courthouse on Thursday afternoon, according to court documents. The three leaders will face Judge Lakeysha Greer Isaac.

Owens faces eight felony counts, Lumumba faces five felony counts and Banks faces two felony counts.

The charges come after another council member, former Ward 2 Councilwoman Angelique Lee, pleaded guilty in August to conspiracy to commit bribery after accepting nearly $20,000 in “cash, deposits and other gifts.” . An alleged conspirator, Sherik Marve' Smith, also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery.

Lee was accused of accepting money from two undercover FBI agents posing as real estate developers in Nashville in exchange for her vote for the agents' fake real estate company for a city hotel project and a road closure as part of its project.

Court documents show that on April 2, Lumumba directed a city employee to push back the deadline for the city's long-awaited hotel project across from the Jackson Convention Complex. Lumumba agreed to postpone the deadline after accepting $10,000 for his “re-election committee” on April 1, given to him as a check by Smith in order to hide the true source of funding – the Nashville “developers.” .

The city has been seeking to build the hotel since the mid-2000s, according to previous statements from Jackson spokeswoman Melissa Payne. The most recent attempt came on January 31, when the city issued a Statement of Qualifications (SOQ) for the project.

A total of three companies are bidding on the SOQ, according to documents received in response to a public records request from Clarion Ledger, part of the USA TODAY Network.

One of the companies is called Facility Solutions Team and was founded in March by Owens, the district attorney. Two months later, on May 22, Owens' business and offices were raided by the FBI, which also made a trip to Jackson City Hall.

In a statement from his attorney released in August after Lee's sentencing, Owens said he had met with out-of-town developers to discuss “the possibility of building a convention center hotel in Jackson.”

“He believed them and after several conversations agreed to help them. “It turned out they were FBI agents,” Owens’ statement said. “Given the status of the investigation, I don’t think it’s appropriate to say anything else at this point.”

In a video statement on Wednesday, Lumumba called his charges a “political prosecution.”

“To be clear: I have never accepted bribes of any kind. As mayor, I have always acted in the best interests of the citizens of Jackson,” he said. “We believe this is a political accusation against me, primarily aimed at destroying my credibility and reputation within the community. This is no coincidence and the timing is just before the upcoming mayoral race. My legal team will vigorously defend me against these allegations.” Although I am disappointed, I will not be deterred, so I ask for your patience and prayers during this process.

Lumumba, who was first elected mayor in 2017, is at the end of his second term, which ends July 1, 2025.

This is a developing story.

Jackson Mayor Lumumba, District Attorney Owens and Councilman Banks are charged with bribery

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