After announcing his indictment in a video statement Wednesday, Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba pleaded not guilty to five criminal charges in connection with his alleged role in the Jackson corruption scandal.

Lumumba appeared at 1:30 p.m. Thursday at the Thad Cochran United States Courthouse to enter a plea of ​​not guilty. He was joined by Hinds County Prosecutor Jody Owens and Ward 6 Councilman Aaron Banks, who are also allegedly implicated in the scandal. Owens and Banks have also pleaded not guilty.

“My client disputes the sufficiency of the indictment,” said Thomas Bellinder, Lumumba’s lawyer.

If convicted, Lumumba potentially faces up to 70 years in prison and fines of up to $1.5 million.

In his video statement, Lumumba called the indictment a “political prosecution.” It further read:

“Residents of Jackson, it is with great disappointment that I come before you. My legal team has informed me that federal prosecutors have in fact indicted me on bribery and related charges. To be clear, I do not have never accepted a bribe of any kind. “As Mayor, I have always acted in the best interest of the citizens of Jackson. We believe this is a political prosecution against me, primarily intended to destroy my credibility and reputation within the community. This is not a coincidence, and the time is now. just before the next mayoral race. My legal team will vigorously defend me against these accusations. Again, while I am disappointed, I am not discouraged, so I ask for your patience and prayers during this process.

Lumumba’s announcement comes a little more than two weeks later he dodged the questions about his involvement in the Jackson corruption scandal. At a press conference on October 21, Lumumba repeated the phrase “I have never conspired with anyone to commit a crime” to several questions. The mayor admitted to meeting several times with the second conspirator involved in the scandal, Sherik Marve’ Smith.

Lumumba, who is expected to appear in federal court Thursday, is the latest Jackson elected official to fall into the corruption scandal, following former Ward 2 councilwoman Angelique Lee. Lee pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery in August, after accepting bribes from two undercover FBI agents posing as Nashville real estate developers. The former city councilwoman accepted bribes, totaling nearly $20,000, in exchange for her vote for a fake real estate company from undercover FBI agents for a city hotel project, as well as a road closure to move the project forward.

The undercover FBI agents are known as “Individual 1” and “Individual 2” in court documents.

Lumumba is one of two Jackson elected officials implicated in the scandal. The second official is known only as “unidentified co-conspirator B” who took bribes in exchange for a vote for the FBI undercover agent company, just like Lee, documents show judicial. Ward 7 Councilwoman and Council President Virgi Lindsay previously confirmed that only one Jackson City Council member has the authority to vote in favor of development projects.

The revelation of the involvement of two other Jackson officials came Oct. 17 when Smith, a local insurance specialist, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery. Smith’s briefing note says he and “unindicted co-conspirator A” agreed to make “cash payments and campaign contributions to unindicted co-conspirator B and unindicted co-conspirator C » from two undercover FBI agents posing as Nashville real estate developers. .

Lumumba’s indictment reveals that he is an “unindicted co-conspirator C.” All that is known about “unindicted co-conspirator A” is that he resides in Hinds County.

Court documents show that on April 2, Lumumba ordered a city employee to move up a deadline for the city’s long-sought hotel project across the street from the Jackson Convention Complex. Lumumba agreed to extend the deadline after accepting $10,000 for his “re-election committee” on April 1, which was given to him as a check from Smith to hide the real source of funding – Nashville “developers” .

Lumumba called and directed the city employee while he sat in a private room on a yacht with Owens and the undercover agents at Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. The indictment shows a photo of Lumumba, sitting next to Owens, making the phone call.

After directing the employee, Lumumba allegedly received five checks for $10,000 as a “campaign contribution.” Another photo shows Lumumba holding an envelope and speaking with Owens. He then went to a local club with Owens and the agents, where Owens asked the agents to make money available for Lumumba to use at the club. Lumumba also allegedly asked the agents to pay club employees in cash for his benefit.

The city has been planning to build the hotel since the mid-2000s, according to previous statements by Jackson spokeswoman Melissa Payne. The latest attempt came Jan. 31, when the city issued a statement of qualifications, or DEQ, for the project.

In total, three companies bid on the SOQ, according to a public records request received by Clarion Ledger in August. One of the companies is called Facility Solutions Team, which was created by Hinds County Prosecutor Jody Owens in March. Two months later, on May 22, Owens’ business and offices were searched by the FBI, who also visited Jackson City Hall.

After the searches, Lumumba said, “I have no information about the district attorney or anyone else” during a May 28 news conference.

Owens, in a statement released by his attorney in August following Lee’s conviction, said he had met with out-of-town real estate developers about “the possibility of building a hotel with a convention center in Jackson.” .

“He believed them and after several conversations, he agreed to help them. It turns out they were FBI agents,” Owens’ statement read. “Given the state of the investigation, I do not believe it is appropriate to say anything further at this time.”

Following Lee’s guilty plea, three Jackson City Council members, Ward 1 Councilman Ashby Foote, Ward 5 Councilman Vernon Hartley and Ward 7 Councilor and Council President Virgi Lindsay, they also said that they had met with out-of-town developers. Ward 4 Councilor Brian Grizzell said he met a developer in passing; Ward 3 Councilor Kenneth Stokes said he might have received a call. All denied taking bribes and none could verify whether they were the agents who bribed Lee. Ward 6 Councilor Aaron Banks did not respond to repeated requests for comment on the corruption scandal or whether he also met with developers.

What all of the individual council member meetings have in common is that they were hosted by DA Owens.

Jackson City Council President Releases Statement

Following Lumumba’s announcement, Ward 7 Councilwoman and Council President Virgi Lindsay issued a statement to the Clarion Ledger:

“As City Council President, it is with a sense of gravity and responsibility that I respond to the federal indictment against Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba,” Lindsay said.

“My intention here is to speak directly to the residents of the City of Jackson. I know that you are patient, open-minded and empathetic, especially in times of duress. I am reminded that the presumption of innocence is a principle fundamental of our criminal justice system Therefore, I will remain resolutely focused on the work of our city council and hope that the legal system will proceed without undue comments from me. I will however share relevant information with you, if necessary. our collective power to prosper.”

Will Lumumba resign?

Given Lumumba’s role in the corruption scandal, it is unclear whether he will resign as mayor – a position he has held since he was first elected in 2017. The mayor is at the end of his second term, which ends on July 1, 2025. .

In February, Lumumba announced his intention to run for office. a third term. He reiterated this at the beginning of October. But after Smith pleaded guilty Oct. 17, the Clarion Ledger asked the mayor if an upcoming indictment affected his plans to run for a third term. Lumumba was unclear, referring only to the statement “I have never conspired with anyone to commit a crime” he made on October 21.

A special election had already been held when Lee pleaded guilty in August. In October, Tina Clay was elected to fill the Ward 2 seat on the council. Councilwoman Clay attended her first council meeting on Tuesday.

This article was originally published on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: MS corruption scandal: Jackson Mayor Lumumba indicted for corruption by DOJ