On October 7, the Department of Justice indicted several Jackson officials for their alleged involvement in a high-profile corruption scandal.
According to a DOJ release, District Attorney Jody Owens, Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba, and City Council member Aaron Banks have been accused of taking part in an alleged bribery scheme in which they gave real estate developers preferential treatments in exchange for money, private jet flights and fancy meals.
“The indictment alleges that Jackson’s mayor, the district attorney in Jackson, and members of Jackson’s city council conspired to accept bribes in exchange for official acts benefiting purported real estate developers,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri.”
Argentieri said that officials who abuse their positions of authority for personal gain undermine the public’s trust in government. “
According to the DOJ, the alleged bribes were paid in many different ways, including cash payments, donations to campaigns that were laundered through third-party entities, and donations to campaigns.
NBC News reported the indictments were the result of an FBI investigation that lasted several months. Agents posed as real estate developers in Tennessee and approached city council members to ask for their support for a fictional hotel project in 2023. A council member who wasn’t implicated recalled the meeting with the “developers” at an upscale steakhouse. She expressed her skepticism.
Lindsay, NBC News: “I felt that they were so poorly prepared. I thought I would never see them again.”
Owens is said to have told agents how to conceal the source of their bribes through the structuring of campaign donations. He reportedly said: “I don’t care where the money comes from.” According to a report, “I do not care if the money comes from blood diamonds found in Africa.”
According to the DOJ, Owens claimed to have “a bag of f —— information on all the councilmen” which allowed him to get the votes he needed for his fictitious plan.
The sting was a series of orchestrated meetings where the men planned their scheme and paid city officials. They flew officials from Nashville to Florida. Owens has been accused of accepting $125,000 for a boat and vacations.
Lumumba played a major role in the plan. He directed a worker at the city to delay the deadline for the hotel proposal. Others are accused of channeling additional payments to the Mayor by funneling the bribes through his campaign fund.
Investigators found evidence when they searched Owens’s office.
The FBI executed a search warrant at Owens’ Hinds County District Attorney’s Office in late May. During the raid, they discovered a book called “The Constitution of The United States” was in fact a lock box. The officials said inside the locking box was $20,000 in cash. The indictment stated that almost half of the funds could be traced to Owens’s money via serial numbers.
According to the indictment it is claimed that Owens informed developers that he kept more than a million dollars and “dope money” in the office safe to avoid having them at his home.
“People are tired,” said Vernon Hartley, a council member. ” People just want to see good things happen. ” “Now that several officials have been charged, the city is not only facing a legal battle but also a struggle to restore public trust and make progress on important projects.”
If convicted, the officials could face maximum sentences of up to 20 years.
