Hinds DA Jody Owens, Jackson Mayor Chokwe Lumumba, councilman Aaron Banks have been indicted


bernard

bernard

THEE Realist
Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens, Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba and Jackson city councilman Aaron Banks have been indicted on federal corruption and bribery charges.

Federal indictments against Owens, Lumumba and Banks unsealed Thursday accuse the district attorney of bribing the mayor with campaign contributions to move a bid deadline in favor of the fictitious developers. Banks allegedly took cash bribes and favors in exchange for his future vote on the development. All three of them will be arraigned in federal court Thursday at 1:30 p.m.

READ MORE: The full indictment against Owens, Lumumba, and Banks

mississippitoday.org

Hinds district attorney, Jackson mayor and councilman indicted on bribery charges - Mississippi Today

Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens, Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba and Jackson city councilman Aaron Banks have been indicted.
mississippitoday.org mississippitoday.org
 



IMHO, this is a serious uphill battle. Very seldom a federal indictment turns out well. If I had to prognosticate, it would be less than 10% he comes out of this unscathed. However, I wish him the best of luck and hope he somehow beat this.
 

Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens pleads guilty to conspiracy​


Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens pleaded guilty Monday to a federal conspiracy charge, two weeks before he was set to go on trial in a case stemming from an FBI operation aimed at exposing public corruption in Mississippi’s capital city.

Owens will resign as the top prosecutor for Mississippi’s largest county, effective Wednesday.

“While it hurts beyond measure to step away from a position I love, I believe this decision is what is best for me, my family, and the District Attorney’s Office,” Owens wrote on social media. “I leave knowing the office is filled with talented, dedicated public servants who will continue the important work of protecting our community.”

Owens faces up to five years in prison. His sentencing is scheduled for mid-October.

Former Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba and former Jackson City Council Member Aaron Banks are still facing charges in the case. A federal grand jury indicted the three men in 2024, and their trial was set to begin July 13.

Beginning as early as 2023, undercover FBI agents posed as real estate developers seeking to build a convention center hotel in downtown Jackson on a plot of land the city had previously obtained a federal loan to develop.

The agents enlisted an unsuspecting Owens to connect them to powerful Jacksonians, including Banks and Lumumba. The indictment alleges Owens made payments on behalf of the developers to the politicians in exchange for their help advancing the proposal.

 
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