Former Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba and former City Council President Aaron Banks pleaded guilty Monday to one count of conspiracy in a federal bribery scheme. The charges stem from a 2024 indictment alleging they accepted bribes from FBI agents posing as real estate developers to approve a downtown Jackson development project.
Lumumba, who served as mayor from 2017 to 2025, admitted to accepting $50,000 in campaign contributions from the undercover agents. Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens, also a Democrat, pleaded guilty last week and resigned. Owens allegedly facilitated over $80,000 in bribe payments to Lumumba, Banks, and former City Council Vice President Angelique Lee.
The indictment states Owens solicited at least $115,000 from the agents, believing they were real estate developers. Sentencing for Lumumba, Banks, and Owens is scheduled for October 15, with each facing up to five years in prison. Lumumba previously called the charges a political prosecution and lost his reelection bid last year.