- Lee resigned from the City Council Wednesday morning prior to appearing before a federal District Court Judge Dan Jordan to plead guilty to conspiracy and bribery.
Jackson City Councilwoman Angelique Lee appeared before federal District Court Judge Dan Jordan Wednesday afternoon. Lee pled guilty to conspiracy and bribery charges as part of an FBI sting conducted involving Jackson city officials.
Hours before appearing, Lee resigned from the Jackson City Council giving little reason for her sudden announcement. She said in a letter that she was not at liberty to discuss the circumstances surrounding her resignation.
READ MORE: Jackson City Councilwoman Lee resigns
According to court documents, Lee received cash payments and other items of value in exchange for her vote in favor of a real estate development project being proposed by unnamed persons and co-conspirators. Lee allegedly agreed to support the closure of a road in furtherance of the project and give her official approval for future development projects brought before the Jackson City Council by the unnamed persons.
Court documents shows that Lee’s co-conspirators funneled payments to her through a bank account controlled by a thus far unindicted person, and allowed Lee to use a credit card of one of the individuals in question, in part to conceal the source of the payments.
Lee allegedly accepted payments of $10,000 to pay off a portion of her campaign debt in February of this year, $3,000 for personal use, and approximately $6,000 in retail purchases on the credit card at a luxury retail store in Jackson. Federal prosecutors claim all were intended to be a bribe.
Lee was ordered to forfeit the following property:
- $13,654 in cash
- A pair of Valentino sandals
- A Louboutin tote bag
- A pair of earrings
- A Tanya Taylor dress
- A pair of Golden Goose sneakers
- A pair of Louboutin sandals
- Aviator Nation sweatpants
- Aviator Nation t-shirt
The maximum penalty for conspiracy to commit bribery as noted in the court filing is not more than 5 years in prison, not more than a $250,000 fine, not more than 3 years supervised release, and $100 special assessment.
The criminal information against Lee was unsealed and can be read below.
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