Jackson Mayor Lumumba Indicted for Bribery by DOJ

Months after former councilwoman Angelique Lee’s case, Jackson’s mayor faces charges

After announcing his indictment in a video statement Wednesday, Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba pleaded not guilty to five misdemeanor charges related to his alleged role in Jackson’s bribery scandal.

Lumumba appeared at the Thad Cochran Courthouse in the United States at 1:30 PM on Thursday to enter his not guilty plea. He was joined by Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens and Ward 6 Councilman Aaron Banks, who are also reportedly involved in the scandal. Owens and Banks both also pleaded not guilty.

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

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

In his video statement, Lumumba called the charges a “political persecution.” It further said:

“Residents of Jackson, it is with great disappointment that I stand before you. My legal team informed me that federal prosecutors have in fact indicted me on bribery and related charges. 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. I believe this is a political persecution against me, primarily designed to destroy my credibility and reputation within the community just before the upcoming My legal team will vigorously defend me against these allegations. Once again, although I am disappointed, I will not be deterred, so I ask for your patience and prayers during this process.

Lumumba’s announcement comes just over two weeks later he avoided questions about his involvement in Jackson’s bribery scandal. During an October 21 press conference, Lumumba repeated the phrase “I have never conspired with anyone to commit a crime” to multiple questions. The mayor admitted that he had met the second conspirator caught up in the scandal, Sherik Marve’ Smith, more than once.

Lumumba, who is expected to appear in federal court Thursday, is the latest Jackson elected official to fall in the bribery scandal, following former Ward 2 Councilwoman Angelique Lee. Lee pleaded guilty in August to conspiracy to commit bribery after taking bribes from two undercover FBI agents posing as Nashville real estate developers. The former councilwoman took the bribes, totaling nearly $20,000, in exchange for her vote in favor of the undercover FBI agents’ bogus real estate company for a city hotel project, and for a road closure to further the project.

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

Lumumba is one of two Jackson elected officials involved in the scandal. The second official is known only as “Uninidcted Co-conspirator B,” who took bribes in exchange for a vote for the undercover FBI agent company, just as Lee did, according to court documents. Ward 7 Councilmember and Council President Virgi Lindsay previously confirmed that only a Jackson City Council member has the power to cast votes in favor of development projects.

The revelation that two more Jackson officials were involved came Oct. 17 when Smith, a local insurance specialist, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery. Smith’s information letter states that he and an “unindicted co-conspirator A” agreed to “provide cash payments and campaign contributions to unindicted co-conspirator B and unindicted co-conspirator C” from two undercover FBI agents agents posing as real estate developers in Nashville. .

Lumumba’s indictment shows he was “unindicted co-conspirator C.” is. All that is known about “Unindicted Co-conspirator A” is that they are residents of Hinds County.

Court documents show that on April 2, Lumumba directed 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 move up 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 the funding – the Nashville “developers.”

Lumumba called and dispatched the city employee while in a private room on a yacht with Owens and the undercover officers in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. The complaint shows a photo of Lumumba sitting next to Owens and talking on the phone.

After ordering the employee, Lumumba allegedly received five $10,000 checks as “campaign contributions.” Another photo shows Lumumba holding an envelope and talking to Owens. He later went with Owens and the officers to a local club, where Owens instructed the officers to provide money for Lumumba to use at the club. Lumumba also allegedly instructed the officers to pay cash to club employees on his behalf.

According to previous statements from Jackson spokesperson Melissa Payne, the city has been seeking to build the hotel since the mid-2000s. The last attempt was on Jan. 31, when the city issued a Statement of Qualifications (SOQ) for the project.

A total of three companies bid on the SOQ, according to a public records request the Clarion Ledger received in August. One of the companies is called Facility Solutions Team, which was founded in March by Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens. Two months later, on May 22, Owens’ company and offices were robbed by the FBI, who also made a trip to Jackson City Hall.

After the raids, Lumumba said at a press conference on May 28: “I don’t have any information about the prosecutor or anyone else.”

Corruption case in Jackson

The latest guilty plea follows that of former Jackson councilwoman Angelique Lee.

Owens said in a statement released through his attorney in August after Lee’s conviction that he had met with developers from out of town about “the opportunity to build a convention center hotel in Jackson.”

“He believed them and after several conversations he agreed to help them. They turned out to be FBI agents,” Owens’ statement read. “Given the status of the investigation, I do not believe it is appropriate to say anything else at this time.”

Following Lee’s guilty plea, three members of the Jackson City Council, Ward 1 Councilor Ashby Foote, Ward 5 Councilor Vernon Hartley and Ward 7 Councilor and Council President Virgi Lindsay, also said they met with developers outside the city. Ward 4 Councilman Brian Grizzell said he happened to meet a developer; Ward 3 Councilor Kenneth Stokes said he may have received a phone call. All have denied taking bribes and no one could verify whether they were the officers who bribed Lee. Ward 6 Councilman Aaron Banks did not respond to repeated requests for comment on the bribery scandal or whether he has met with developers.

What all the meetings of the individual council members have in common is that they are set up by DA Owens.

Jackson City Council President releases statement

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

“As City Council President, I address the federal indictment against Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba with a sense of seriousness and responsibility,” Lindsay said.

“It is my intent to speak directly to the people of the city of Jackson. I know you are patient, open-minded and empathetic – especially in times of duress. I remind myself that the presumption of innocence is a fundamental principle of our criminal justice system. Therefore, I will remain steadfastly focused on the work of our City Council, and trust that the justice system will unfold without unnecessary commentary from me in our collective power to thrive.”

Will Lumumba resign?

Given Lumumba’s role in the bribery scandal, it is unclear whether he will step down as mayor – a job he has held since his first election in 2017. The mayor is at the end of his second term, which ends on July 1, 2025.

In February, Lumumba announced that he wanted to run for office a third term. He repeated this in early October. But after Smith pleaded guilty on Oct. 17, the Clarion Ledger asked the mayor whether an upcoming indictment would affect his plans to run for a third term. Lumumba was unclear and only referred to the statement “I have never conspired with anyone to commit a crime” he made on October 21.

A special election was already underway 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.