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.
22 Articles
22 Articles
Former mayor of Mississippi's capital city pleads guilty in bribery scheme
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The former mayor of Mississippi's capital city and the former City Council president have pleaded guilty in a bribery scheme one week before they were set to face trial.
Ex-Jackson Mayor Pleads Guilty in Public Corruption Case
“Former Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba and former City Council member Aaron Banks on Monday pleaded guilty to conspiracy in a federal corruption case that rocked Mississippi’s capital city,” Mississippi Today reports. “Lumumba pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bribery, wire fraud and money laundering, with Banks pleading guilty to one count […]
Former Jackson mayor, ex-city council member plead guilty in public corruption case
Former Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba and former City Council member Aaron Banks on Monday pleaded guilty to conspiracy in a federal corruption case that rocked Mississippi’s capital city.
Ex-Jackson Mayor Chokwe A. Lumumba Faces 5 Years in Prison After Guilty Plea in Bribery Case
Former Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba pleaded guilty to a single charge of conspiracy to commit bribery, wire fraud and money laundering on Monday afternoon, concluding a years-long legal battle. The post Ex-Jackson Mayor Chokwe A. Lumumba Faces 5 Years in Prison After Guilty Plea in Federal Bribery Case appeared first on Mississippi Free Press.
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