- Sherik Marve’ Smith, a business associate of Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens, pled guilty on Wednesday for his role in funneling bribery payments to Jackson elected officials.
In August, Jackson City Councilwoman Angelique Lee pled guilty to receiving bribes from undercover FBI operatives posing as real estate developers in exchange for her support for a hotel development. Lee resigned her seat on the City Council the day of her plea and is due to be sentenced on November 13th.
On Wednesday, the next shoe dropped, as Sherik Marve’ Smith appeared in federal court to plead guilty for his role in the bribery scandal. The criminal information unsealed in Smith’s case sheds new light on the scope of the federal investigation and suggests additional indictments of high profile elected officials are forthcoming.
RELATED: Lee Pleads Guilty, First Shoe Drops in Jackson FBI Sting
How it Began
Two FBI operatives came to Jackson posing as real estate developers in the fall of 2023. The pair solicited the help of Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens and Sherik Smith in making a proposal to build a hotel.
On March 10, 2024, the proposal to build the hotel was jointly submitted by Contour Companies and Facilities Solution Team. The proposal identified out-of-state developers from Hendersonville, Tennessee and Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. Owens and Smith were included in the proposal as “associated local businessmen.”
Nine days later, on March 19th, Owens formed Facility Solutions Team, LLC. Filings list Owens as both the registered agent and the only officer of the business.
In May, the FBI conducted raids at the Hinds County District Attorney’s Office, along with multiple businesses owned by Owens. Federal law enforcement visited Jackson City Hall, where they reportedly sought conversations with Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba and Jackson City Councilman Aaron Banks.
RELATED: Amid FBI Bribery Investigation, Jody Owens Should Resign
The FBI seized boxes of documents and cellphones during the raids.
Rob McDuff, an attorneys for Owens, previously told reporters at Mississippi Today, “Two gentlemen who claimed they were successful large-scale developers with their own development company raised with him [Owens] the possibility of building a convention center hotel in Jackson. He believed them, and after multiple conversations, agreed to help them. It turns out they were operatives for the FBI.”
Former Jackson City Councilwoman Angelique Lee was the first person arrested as part of the investigation. Her plea to federal bribery charges provided some insight into the nature of the operation, but was fairly specific to Lee. The criminal information filed with Smith’s guilty more clearly defines the scope of the sting and introduces new players.
New Revelations
When Lee pled guilty, the criminal information unsealed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office identified an “unindicted Co-Conspirator A,” while eluding to additional known conspirators. Co-Conspirator A allegedly funneled bribery payments from the FBI operatives to Lee.
The criminal information unsealed in conjunction with Sherik Smith’s guilty plea provides new insights into “Co-Conspirator A,” while identifying two additional unindicted co-conspirators, “Co-Conspirator B” and “Co-Conspirator C,” both of whom allegedly received bribes in exchange for their support of the hotel project.
“Co-Conspirator B” is identified as a Jackson elected official who received a $10,000 payment, protective services, and the promise of a job for a family member. It is alleged that, like Lee, “Co-Conspirator B” agreed to vote in favor of the hotel development. This allegation implicates another member of the Jackson City Council.
“Co-Conspirator C” is identified as a Jackson elected official who received a $10,000 campaign contribution. It is not alleged that this individual had the ability to vote on the hotel project, but rather, that he directed a city employee to move a deadline to allow the FBI’s hotel proposal to be submitted. These allegations suggests an executive function and could implicate the Mayor’s office.
The criminal information says that Smith and Co-Conspirator A “negotiated and communicated offers and requests for payments” between the FBI operatives and Co-Conspirators B and C, that they “coordinated the time, place, manner, and means of payments and favors,” and that they funneled the payments through bank accounts they owned.
Russ Latino
