Former Mayor of Mississippi's Capital City Pleads Guilty in Bribery Scheme
The plea follows similar guilty pleas from two other Jackson officials, and prosecutors say the case exposed a scheme tied to a proposed hotel project.
- On Monday, July 6, 2026, former Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba and former Jackson City Councilman Aaron Banks pleaded guilty to federal conspiracy charges at the Thad Cochran United States Courthouse, days before trial.
- An FBI undercover operation where agents posed as real estate developers seeking support for a proposed downtown Jackson convention center hotel project triggered the charges. Prosecutors alleged the officials accepted payments in exchange for official actions.
- Court documents detail a yacht meeting in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where agents provided Lumumba five $10,000 checks. Lumumba described his order to a city employee to shorten a project deadline as "ministerial at best."
- Judge Daniel Jordan scheduled sentencing for Lumumba, Banks, and former Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens for October 15, with each facing up to five years in prison and $250,000 in fines.
- The investigation previously secured guilty pleas from former Jackson City Council Vice President Angelique Lee and associate Sherik Marve Smith, with the scandal reshaping local politics as all involved left office in 2025.
44 Articles
44 Articles
How Jackson’s Former Mayor Went From Progressive Star to Guilty Plea
Jackson, Mississippi, resident and social justice organizer Danyelle Holmes saw up close the scrutiny and efforts by the state’s top leaders to remove her friend and former Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba from office during his tenure. Lumumba consistently fought back against lawmakers and the governor for refusing to fix the city’s crumbling infrastructure, she said, forcing him to find alternative routes for funding and support. Holmes said she bel…
Former Democratic Mayor Pleads Guilty to Bribery Scheme After Getting Nabbed by Undercover FBI Agents
Former Democratic Jackson, Mississippi, Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba pleaded guilty Monday to conspiracy in a six-figure real estate bribery scheme. Lumumba accepted $50,000 in campaign contributions from undercover FBI agents […] The post Former Democratic Mayor Pleads Guilty to Bribery Scheme After Getting Nabbed by Undercover FBI Agents appeared first on The Western Journal.
Independent Journal Review
Disgraced Democrat Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba Fesses Up To $50,000 Bribery Scheme
Former Democratic Jackson, Mississippi Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba pleaded guilty Monday to conspiracy in a six-figure real estate bribery scheme.
Jackson residents react to guilty pleas from former mayor, district attorney and city councilman
JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – Jackson residents say they are not surprised by the guilty pleas of three of the city’s top elected officials, but they are hurt and calling for accountability. Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba, District Attorney Jody Owens and City Councilman Aaron Banks have pleaded guilty to a federal bribery scheme. Camy Hill, a Jackson resident, said she trusted her city leaders and now has a message for them. “They need to set an example.…
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