Former Jackson Mayor and Three Other Officials Plead Guilty in Bribery Case

Former Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba pleaded guilty on Monday to one count of conspiracy in U.S. District Court in Jackson, Mississippi. The plea came in connection with a bribery investigation into a proposed downtown convention-center hotel project.

Lumumba admitted participating in a scheme in which undercover FBI agents posing as Nashville real-estate developers sought support for the project. He agreed to accept $50,000 in the form of five $10,000 checks presented as campaign contributions. In exchange, he directed a city employee to move the project deadline from April 30, 2024, to April 15, 2024.

The agreement was reached aboard a yacht in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in April 2024 during an event presented as a fundraiser. After the deadline change was confirmed, one undercover agent gave Lumumba an envelope containing the five checks. The checks were deposited into his campaign account on April 4, 2024, when the prior balance was approximately $465.30.

Former Jackson City Council member Aaron Banks also pleaded guilty on Monday to conspiracy in the same case. Several co-defendants, including former Hinds County District Attorney Jody E. Owens II, were indicted in October 2024.

Owens pleaded guilty on June 29, 2026, and resigned. Former Jackson City Council Vice President Angelique Lee resigned in August 2024 and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery. Local businessman Sherik Smith pleaded guilty in October 2024.

Lumumba faces a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine. His trial had been scheduled for July 13 alongside Banks. Lumumba had previously moved unsuccessfully to dismiss the indictment against him.