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Jackson Mayor Lumumba, District Attorney Owens and Councilman Banks indicted

Umito November 8, 2024

In a shocking turn of events in the Jackson corruption scandal, three local leaders have been indicted on federal charges: Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba, Ward 6 Councilman Aaron Banks and Hinds County Prosecutor Jody Owens.

Lumumba, who announced his indictment in a video statement Wednesday, will be joined Thursday at the Thad Cochran U.S. Courthouse by Banks and Owens. The mayor, councilman and district attorney are all scheduled to appear at a court hearing at 1:30 p.m., according to court documents. The three leaders will face Magistrate Judge Lakeysha Greer Isaac.

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

Owens faces one count of conspiracy, three counts of federal program bribery, one count of using an interstate facility for racketeering, one count of one count of wire fraud, one count of money laundering and one count of making a false statement. Lumumba faces one count of conspiracy, one count of federal program bribery, one count of using an interstate facility for racketeering, one count of wire fraud charge and one count of money laundering. Banks faces one count of conspiracy and three counts of federal bribery.

The indictments of Lumumba, Banks and Owens follow former Ward 2 Councilwoman Angelique Lee’s guilty plea in August. Lee pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery after accepting nearly $20,000 in “cash, deposits and other gifts.”

Two months later, Sherik Marve’ Smith, the second conspirator, also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery. Smith’s guilty plea revealed that two other Jackson elected officials were involved in the corruption scandal.

Details of the indictment for DA Jody Owens

According to the newly unsealed indictment, Owens facilitated the payment of more than $80,000 in bribes to Lumumba and Lee in exchange for their agreement to take official action regarding the city, across from the Jackson Convention Complex. It’s a project the city has been trying to build since the mid-2000s. The city released a statement of qualifications, or SOQ, on January 31.

Owens accepted at least $115,000 in cash and “promises of future financial benefits” from two Nashville promoters who turned out to be undercover FBI agents. The agents used Owen’s relationship with Lumumba and Lee “to act as a middleman” for the bribes.

“Owens, Banks, Lumumba, Lee, and Smith did not know that, in fact, the developers were working for the Federal Bureau of Investigation,” the indictment states.

Previously, the two Jackson elected officials were known as “unindicted co-conspirator B” and “unindicted co-conspirator C.” A third conspirator was known as “unindicted co-conspirator A.”

Now, Owens has been officially revealed as “unindicted co-conspirator A,” Banks as “unindicted co-conspirator B,” and Lumumba as “unindicted co-conspirator C.”

On January 11, Banks allegedly demanded $50,000 in exchange for his future vote in favor of the fake real estate “developer” company that was bidding on the city’s SOQ. In February, Banks allegedly accepted a $10,000 “upfront payment” from the undercover agents through Owens, as well as a promise of a job opportunity for a family member.

During the meeting, Owens fired Banks and then told the agents:

“We never give them the asking price. I buy (expletive for women), I buy cars, I buy cows, I buy drugs, whatever. What I mean is (banks) need 50, you get 30. He gets payouts. It’s my game,” according to the indictment.

When Banks joined the meeting, he told the agents he needed “fifty thousand dollars ASAP.”

In February, Banks accepted a $10,000 “upfront payment” from the undercover agents through Owens, as well as a promise of a job opportunity for a family member. Lee accepted nearly $20,000 in February and March also in exchange for voting for the undercover agent company.

On February 12, 2024, Owens hosted a dinner with Agents Lumumba and Smith. After the introductions, Owens told Lumumba, “I did a background check. Besides, it’s not the FBI. He also told the mayor that agents’ attention had “shifted” to the hotel project across from the convention center.

Lee accepted nearly $20,000 in February and March also in exchange for voting for the undercover agent company.

In March and April, Lumumba allegedly accepted $50,000 from promoters through Owens, disguised as five $10,000 campaign donations.

“Owens used campaign donation checks to conceal the true source of the funds, the developers, in an attempt to avoid public and law enforcement scrutiny,” the indictment states.

Owens and Smith traveled to Nashville from October 9 to 11, 2023 aboard a private jet paid for by the FBI to “discuss business opportunities.”

“Owens was ready, willing and predisposed to engage in corruption at least as early as October 16, 2023. On that date, Owens spoke to promoters about his influence in the City of Jackson and his ability to buy the support of agents public in the city. the City of Jackson,” according to the indictment.

Specifically, Owens told the agents that he could “give” them the Jackson Redevelopment Authority (JRA), a seven-person commission established by the Jackson City Council with authority over certain real estate in Jackson. Owens also told agents that he and Smith “owned enough of the city” and that he had “a bag of (exhaustive) information on all the city councilors” that allowed him to “get votes approved.”

At Owens’ victory party following his re-election on November 7, 2023, Owens told developers “off the cuff” that his DA position was “a part-time job.” Full-time work is growing.

The next day, November 8, 2023, the undercover agents met with Owens, Smith, and “Witness 1” and negotiated a payment of $250,000 to be made to Owens, Smith, and the witness. On top of that, Owens and Smith were to receive $100,000 each, while the witness was to receive $50,000.

In December, Owens, Smith and the witness boarded a private jet with undercover agents, paid by the FBI, bound for Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. That evening, Owens met the agents in a private room on a yacht and told them the best way to pay him was in cash and “that he had brought a bag especially for that purpose on the trip.” One of the agents then gave Owens $125,000 in cash to split between Owens, Smith and the witness.

“After receiving the $125,000, Owens explained his worth to the agents: “I’m not trying to exaggerate this, guys, but my ability to pursue people…there’s only one Me. We. Everyone needs something. Each file comes to us. Everyone needs something fixed,” the indictment states.

On January 10, Owens and Smith met with the undercover agents in Owens’ “war room” and told them about the city’s upcoming SOQ that would be released on January 31. The agents “expressed interest in obtaining the downtown development project for themselves. and noted their desire to gain long-term support from the city council.

In response, Owens said they should avoid paying city council members too much money.

“I don’t know if you’ve ever been around drug addicts, have you? You can give them a shot, a shot, a shot. But if you give them a case of whiskey and you give them a pound of coke, and you give them a pound (of expletives) of weed, they’ll die,” Owens reportedly said.

This is a developing story.