Soros District Attorney, Bernie Sanders Mayor Indicted for Bribery

A Mississippi district attorney backed by Democratic megadonor George Soros and a Mississippi mayor endorsed by socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) have been indicted on federal bribery charges.

The Justice Department alleges that Hinds County district attorney Jody Owens and Jackson mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba, both Democrats, accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes. Two FBI informants posing as real estate developers seeking projects in downtown Jackson, Miss., offered them bribes. Owens said, “I don’t give a s*** where the money comes from. … I’m a whole DA.”

Jackson City Council member Aaron B. Banks was also indicted. Another council member and an insurance broker pleaded guilty.

According to court documents, charges were brought after two people working for the FBI posed as real estate developers who wanted to build a hotel near the convention center in downtown Jackson and provided payments to officials, including $50,000 for the mayor’s reelection campaign.

Lumumba called it a political prosecution to hurt his campaign.

“My legal team has informed me that federal prosecutors have, in fact, indicted me on bribery and related charges,” said Lumumba, who is an attorney. “To be clear, I have never accepted a bribe of any type. As mayor, I have always acted in the best interests of the city of Jackson.”

Details From Mississippi Today

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The mayor of Mississippi’s capital city, the top prosecutor in the state’s largest county, and a Jackson city council member have been indicted on conspiracy and bribery charges in a case that has already forced the resignation of another city council member, according to federal court records unsealed Thursday.

According to court documents, the charges against Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba, Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens, and Jackson City Council member Aaron B. Banks were brought after two people working for the FBI posed as real estate developers who wanted to build a hotel near the convention center in downtown Jackson and provided payments to officials, including $50,000 for the mayor’s reelection campaign.

Lumumba, Jody Owens, and Banks were scheduled to appear on Thursday before a magistrate judge.

Lumumba released a video statement Wednesday saying he had been indicted and calling it a “political prosecution” to hurt his 2025 reelection campaign.

“My legal team has informed me that federal prosecutors have, in fact, indicted me on bribery and related charges,” said Lumumba, who is an attorney. “To be clear, I have never accepted a bribe of any type. As mayor, I have always acted in the best interests of the city of Jackson.”

The Associated Press left a phone message Thursday for Owens’ attorney, Thomas Gerry Bufkin. Federal court documents did not immediately list an attorney for Banks.

Lumumba and Banks were elected in mid-2017. Owens was elected in 2019 and took office in 2020. All three are Democrats.

Another City Council Member Pleaded Guilty

Jackson City Council member Angelique Lee, a Democrat, first elected in 2020, resigned in August and pleaded guilty to federal bribery charges as the result of the same FBI investigation. Her sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 13.

In May, FBI agents raided Owens’ office and a cigar bar he owns in downtown Jackson. Among the items found in the district attorney’s office was a lockbox made to look like a book labeled as the U.S. Constitution. It contained about $20,000 in cash, with about $9,900 showing serial numbers confirming it was paid by the purported developers to Owens, according to the newly unsealed indictment.

According to the indictment, Owens boasted to the purported developers about influencing Jackson officials and “facilitated over $80,000 in bribe payments” to Lumumba, Banks, and Lee in exchange for their agreement to ensure approval of the multimillion-dollar downtown development. The document also says Owens “solicited and accepted at least $115,000 in cash and promises of future financial benefits” from the purported developers to use his relationships with Lumumba, Banks, and Lee and act as an intermediary for the payments to them.

According to the indictments unsealed Thursday, Lumumba directed a city employee to move a deadline to favor the purported developers’ project, and Banks and Lee agreed to vote in favor of it.

An Insurance Broker Pleads Guilty

According to court documents, Sherik Marve Smith—an insurance broker and a relative of Owens—waived indictment and pleaded guilty to a federal bribery charge in the case on Oct. 17. He agreed to forfeit $20,000, and his sentencing is set for Feb. 19.

According to court documents, Smith conspired to give cash payments and campaign contributions to two Jackson elected officials. The money came from the purported developers who were working for the FBI.

According to the newly unsealed indictment, Owens, Lumumba, Smith, and the purported developers traveled in April on a private jet paid by the FBI to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. During a meeting on a yacht that was recorded on audio and video, Lumumba received five campaign checks for $10,000 each, and he called a Jackson city employee and instructed that person to move a deadline for submission of proposals to develop the property near the convention center, the indictment says. The indictment says that the deadline was moved to benefit the purported developers who were working for the FBI by likely eliminating any of their competition.

The mayor said his legal team will “vigorously defend me against these charges.”

“We believe this to be a political prosecution against me, designed to destroy my credibility and reputation within the community,” Lumumba said.

Mississippi Today Article Republished under Creative Commons License.

PowerInbox