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The Democratic mayor of Mississippi's capital and its top county prosecutor were indicted Thursday amid an FBI sting operation regarding allegations that city officials were accepting payments in order to sweeten future real estate deals.
Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba, Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens II and Jackson City Councilman Aaron Banks were hit with charges of conspiracy to commit federal program bribery, honest services wire fraud and money laundering, according to the Department of Justice.
Lumumba, son of the late Republic of New Afrika leader Chokwe Lumumba, released a video statement denying ever accepting a bribe and calling the indictment a "political prosecution" intended to "destroy [his] . . . reputation."
"Jackson residents, it is with great disappointment that I come before you. My legal team has informed me that federal prosecutors have, in fact, indicted me on bribery and related charges," he said.
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"There is no coincidence, and its timing being just before the upcoming mayoral race. My legal team will vigorously defend me against these charges. Again, while I am disappointed, I am not deterred, so I ask for your patience and your prayers during this process. Thank you."
DOJ criminal division chief Nicole Argentieri said following the indictment that public officials who abuse their positions of power to "enrich themselves undermine public confidence in government."
"The Justice Department is committed to restoring that confidence by working with its law enforcement partners to investigate and prosecute public corruption."
The indictment alleges that between October 2023 and May 2024, Owens facilitated monetary bribes to Jackson officials on behalf of two people posing as Tennessee developers who were in fact FBI undercover agents.
"Owens instructed the developers that, for their project to succeed, they needed to secure the support of certain public officials in Jackson through bribery," the Department of Justice said in a statement. He was later accused of making false statements to an FBI agent.
Banks, the councilman, allegedly solicited a $50,000 bribe, including an initial $10,000 cash payment, for future votes supporting the development in the Mississippi capital.
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The three officials were in a bugged room on a yacht in Broward County, Florida, negotiating what they believed to be the developers' payments when they were caught, according to the local Mississippi Clarion-Ledger.
Prior to heading south, Owens reportedly told the mayor that he had done background checks on the "developers" and said, "they're not FBI, by the way."
One undercover agent reportedly asked the officials to move forward a deadline for an "SOQ," or statement of qualifications, required for the planned hotel development, and Lumumba reportedly went ahead and made a phone call.
Another agent then handed the mayor five checks worth $50,000 total. After returning to Mississippi, the funds were reportedly deposited in the mayor's campaign account, according to the paper.
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"I am not guilty, and so I will not proceed as a guilty man," Lumumba later told supporters at a public appearance, according to NBC News.
Owens said the indictment is a "horrible example of a flawed FBI investigation."
"We think the truth has to come out that cherry-picked statements of drunken locker room banter is not a crime," he said after pleading not guilty.
