The mayor pleads not guilty to the charges and calls it “political persecution”

Announcing the indictment in a video statement Wednesday, Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba pleaded not guilty to five felony charges related to his alleged role in the Jackson bribery scandal.

Lumumba appeared at the Thad Cochran U.S. Courthouse on Thursday at 1:30 p.m. to plead his innocence. He was joined by Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens and District 6 Councilman Aaron Banks, who are also allegedly involved in the scandal. Owens and Banks also pleaded not guilty.

“My client challenges the sufficiency of the indictment,” said Thomas Bellinder, Lumumba’s lawyer.

If convicted, Lumumba potentially faces up to 70 years in prison and a fine of up to $1.5 million.

In his video message, Lumumba called the indictment “political persecution.” It further said:

“People of Jackson, it is with great disappointment that I come before you. My legal team informed me that federal prosecutors had in fact indicted me for bribery and related charges. To be clear, I have never accepted bribes of any type. … As mayor, I have always acted in the best interests of the citizens of Jackson. We believe that this is political persecution against me, aimed primarily at destroying my authority and reputation in society. This is not a coincidence, and it is chosen at the right time. just before the upcoming mayoral race. My legal team will vigorously defend me against these charges. Again, although I am disappointed, I am not deterred, so I ask for your patience and prayers during this process. Thank you”.

Lumumba’s statement came just over two weeks after he dodged questions about his involvement in the Jackson bribery scandal. During a press conference on October 21, Lumumba repeated the phrase “I never conspired with anyone to commit a crime” in response to numerous questions. The mayor admitted that he had met more than once with the second conspirator in the scandal, Sherick Marve Smith.

Lumumba, who is expected to appear in federal court on Thursday, is the latest elected official in Jackson to be targeted in a bribery scandal, following former District 2 Councilwoman Angelique Lee. Lee pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery in August after accepting bribes from two undercover FBI agents posing as real estate developers in Nashville. The former councilwoman accepted bribes totaling approximately $20,000 in exchange for her vote for an undercover FBI agent, a shell real estate company, for a city hotel project, as well as for a road closure in support of the project.

The undercover FBI agents are known in court documents as “Person 1” and “Person 2.”

Lumumba is one of two Jackson elected officials implicated in the scandal. The second official is known only as “Unknown Conspirator B,” who accepted bribes in exchange for voting for an undercover company of FBI agents, like Lee, according to court documents. Ward 7 Councilwoman and Council President Virgie Lindsay previously confirmed that only Jackson City Council members have the authority to cast votes in favor of development projects.

The involvement of two more Jackson officials came to light on Oct. 17 when Smith, a local insurance adjuster, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery. Smith’s memo states that he and “unindicted co-conspirator A” agreed to provide “cash payments and campaign contributions to co-conspirator B and unindicted co-conspirator C” from two undercover FBI agents posing as real estate developers in Nashville. .

The indictment against Lumumba states that he is “an unindicted accomplice of S.” All that is known about “unindicted accomplices A” is that they live in Hinds County.

Court documents show that on April 2, Lumumba directed a city employee to reschedule construction of a long-popular city hotel project across the street from the Jackson Convention Complex. Lumumba agreed to move the deadline after accepting $10,000 on April 1 for his “re-election committee,” which was given to him as a check from Smith to hide the real source of the funding—the Nashville “developers.”

Lumumba called and gave instructions to a city employee while sitting in a private room on a yacht with Owens and undercover agents in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. The indictment includes a photo of Lumumba sitting next to Owens and talking on the phone.

After he instructed the employee, Lumumba was allegedly given five $10,000 checks as “campaign donations.” Another photo shows Lumumba holding an envelope and talking to Owens. He later went to a local club with Owens and the agents, where Owens ordered the agents to provide Lumumba with cash to use at the club. Lumumba also allegedly ordered agents to pay cash to club employees in his favor.

The city has been looking to build the hotel since the mid-2000s, according to previous statements from Jackson spokeswoman Melissa Payne. The latest attempt came on Jan. 31, when the city issued the project’s Statement of Qualification (SOQ).

Just three companies are vying for the SOQ, according to a request received by the Clarion Ledger in August. One of the companies is called Facility Solutions Team, which was created in March by Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens. Two months later, on May 22, Owens’ business and offices were raided FBI officers who also toured Jackson City Hall.

After the raids, Lumumba said at a May 28 press conference: “I don’t have any information about the district attorney or anyone else.”

Owens, in a statement through his lawyer released in August after Lee’s conviction, said he had met with out-of-town developers about “the possibility of building a convention center hotel in Jackson.”

“He believed them and after numerous conversations agreed to help them. It turns out they were FBI operatives,” Owens said in a statement. “Given the status of the investigation, I do not think it is appropriate to say anything more at this stage.”

Following Lee’s guilty plea, three Jackson City Council members, District 1 Councilman Ashby Foote, District 5 Councilman Vernon Hartley and District 7 Councilman and Council President Virgie Lindsey, they also said that they met with out-of-town developers. Ward 4 Councilman Brian Grizzell said he met with one developer in passing; District 3 Councilman Kenneth Stokes said he may have gotten the call. They all denied receiving bribes, and no one could verify whether they were the agents who bribed Lee. District 6 Councilman Aaron Banks did not respond to repeated requests to comment on the bribery scandal or whether he has met with developers.

What all of the individual council meetings have in common is that they were organized by District Attorney Owens.

Jackson City Council President releases statement

Following Lumumba’s announcement, Ward 7 Councilwoman and Council President Virgie Lindsey provided the Clarion Ledger with a statement:

“As City Council President, it is with a sense of seriousness and responsibility that I address the federal indictment of Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba,” Lindsay said.

“My intention is to speak directly with the residents of the City of Jackson. I know that you are patient, open-minded and empathetic – especially in times of duress. I remind myself that the presumption of innocence is a fundamental principle of our criminal justice system. Therefore, I will continue to pay attention to the work of our city council and trust the legal system without unnecessary comment on my part, however, I will share relevant information with you as necessary. Please keep the faith. our collective power to thrive.”

Will Lumumba resign?

Given Lumumba’s role in the bribery scandal, it is unclear whether he will step down as mayor, a position he has held since his first election in 2017. The mayor is coming to the end of his second term, which ends on July 1, 2025. .

In February, Lumumba announced his intention to run for president. third term. He repeated this is at the beginning of October. But after Smith pleaded guilty Oct. 17, the Clarion Ledger asked the mayor whether the upcoming indictment would affect his plans to run for a third term. Lumumba did not give a clear answer, referring only to the statement “I never conspired with anyone to commit a crime,” which he made on October 21.

The special election had already taken place when Lee pleaded guilty in August. In October, Tina Clay was elected to the council seat for District 2. Councilwoman Clay attended her first council meeting on Tuesday.

This article originally appeared in the Mississippi Clarion Ledger: MS Bribery Scandal: Jackson Mayor Lumumba Charged with Bribery by DOJ