Owens, Lumumba and Banks plead ‘not guilty,’ face combined 175 years in prison

• Below is a high level rundown of the charges pending against Owens, Lumumba and Banks and a timeline of the relevant events at the center of the Biden DOJ’s investigation into corruption into Mississippi’s Capital City.

On Thursday, Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens, Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba, and former President of the Jackson City Council Aaron Banks appeared in federal court.

Each took their turn pleading not guilty to federal bribery charges in a scandal that has rocked the leadership of Mississippi’s Capital City. Combined, they face a maximum of 175 years in prison and $4 million in fines. A trial has been set for Jan. 6, 2025.

Magnolia Tribune previously broke the arrest of former City Councilwoman Angelique Lee, who was the first domino to fall in the investigation, and also yesterday’s arraignment.

We were also the first news outlet to report on some of the sordid details of the bribery scheme — which include FBI-funded private planes, a yacht, a Miami strip club, and stacks of marked bills.

Those details were confirmed yesterday with the release of the indictment against the trio.

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Charges and Penalties

Owens: Owens has been charged with Owens one count of conspiracy to commit bribery, three counts of federal program bribery, one count of use of an interstate facility in aid of racketeering, one count of wire fraud, one count of money laundering, and one count of making a false statement.

If convicted, Owens could be sentenced to up to 90 years in federal prison and $2 million in fines. Owens is represented by Jackson attorney Rob McDuff.

Lumumba: Charges against Lumumba include one count of conspiracy to bribery, one count of federal program bribery, one count of use of an interstate facility in aid of racketeering, one count of wire fraud and one count money laundering.

Maximum penalties for Lumumba if convicted include up to 70 years in federal prison and $1.5 million in fines. Lumumba appeared with attorney Thomas J. Bellinder.

Banks: Prosecutors charged Banks with one count of conspiracy to commit bribery and three counts of federal program bribery.

Banks faces up to 15 years in federal prison and fines of up to half a million dollars. He is represented by attorney Carlos Tanner.

Timeline of Events

The case against Jackson and Hinds County officials stem from an FBI operation that started when two Nashville-based real estate developers came to Mississippi. The pair were introduced to D.A. Owens, who offered to help them do business in the Capital City. Unbeknownst to Owens, the developers were confidential human sources (CHS) employed by the FBI. The following information comes from Bills of Information filed against defendants who have pled guilty, yesterday’s indictment, and independent research.

The timeline contains allegations made by the government. Owens, Lumumba and Banks have all pled not guilty.

• August 14, 2023: CHS Developer 1 introduced to Owens by individual identified in indictment as “Witness 1.”
• October 9-11, 2023: Owens, along with relative and business associate Sherik Marve’ Smith, flies to Nashville on private jet financed by FBI to meet with CHS Developer 1 and Developer 2 to discuss business opportunities in Jackson.
• October 16, 2023: Prosecutors say Owens demonstrated he was “ready, willing and predisposed to engage in bribery” and told CHS Developers about his influence in Jackson and ability to purchase the support of public officials. He purportedly bragged that he and Smith “own enough of the city” and that he had “a bag of f–king information on all the city councilmen” that allowed him to “get votes approved.”
• November 7, 2023: At his re-election victory party, Owens told CHS Developers that being District Attorney was a “part-time job” to “get leverage for the full-time job,” referring to the real estate development he planned with the CHS Developers. He said being D.A. got the “conversations and the access. Access equals the other shit we’re trying to do.”
• November 8, 2023: The CHS Developers meet with Owens, Smith, and Witness 1, at which time they negotiate a payment of $100,000 to Owens, $100,000 to Smith, and $50,000 to Witness 1 for their help in securing development deals.
• December 13, 2023: Owens, Smith and Witness 1 travel on a private jet financed by the FBI to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, for a meeting with CHS Developers. Owens asked to receive his payment in cash and presented a bag he had brought for the purpose of carrying it home. CHS Developer 2 gave Owens $125,000 in marked bills to be split between him, Smith and Witness 1. After receiving the money, Owens bragged to the CHS Developers that his ability to “prosecute people” opened doors. He reportedly said, “There’s only one me. So right now, every police agency comes to us. Everybody needs something Every file comes to us. Everybody needs something fixed.”
• January 10, 2024: CHS Developers come to Jackson and meet with Owens and Smith in Owens’ private office. Owens tells the developers about an outstanding RFQ to build a hotel complex near the Jackson Convention Center. The CHS Developers expressed interest in winning the project and desire to secure the support of the City Council. In addressing potential payments to City Council members, Owens advised to avoid paying too much up front. He allegedly told the CHS Developers, “I don’t know if you have been around addicts before, right? You can give them a little blow, a little blunt, a little drink. But if you give them a case of whiskey, and you give them a kilo of coke, and you give them a motherf–king pound of weed. They will die.”
• January 11, 2024: Owens facilitates a dinner with CHS Developers, Smith, and then-Jackson City Council President Aaron Banks. At Owens’ urging Banks asks for $50,000 in exchange for his support, “25 now and 25 later.” Owens dismisses Banks from the table before explaining to the FBI operatives, “We never give them the asking price. I buy p–sy, I buy cars, I buy cows, I buy drugs, whatever. My point is, like [Banks] need 50, you get 30. He gets installments.” Banks returned to the table and was questioned by CHS Developer 2 what he would need to support the CHS Developers’ plans for the hotel. Banks responded “fifty grand as soon as possible would help.”
• February 12, 2024: Owens arranged for a dinner with Lumumba, Smith, and the CHS Developers. At the outset, Owens tells Lumumba, “I’ve done background checks. They’re not the FBI by the way.” Owens identified for Lumumba the CHS Developers interest in the “RFP/RFQ related to the convention area hotels.” At a meeting between Owens, Smith and the CHS Developers following dinner, the FBI operatives expressed concern that they needed more support from the City Council. Owens told them they already had “the leadership” and that he would secure “the pawns.” Owens also explained how he would facilitate the bribes by depositing the CHS Developers money into a business bank account in Mississippi and then distributing payments as campaign contributions. He told the CHS Developers that public officials in Jackson finance their personal lives through their campaign accounts.
• February 13, 2024: The CHS Developers gave Owens $60,000 in cash, including $25,000 for Owens, $25,000 for Banks, and $10,000 for Angelique Lee. Owens told the CHS Developers he would store Banks’ and Lee’s money in a safe at the Hinds County District Attorney’s Office. That same day, Owens gave Banks an envelope with $10,000 in cash. At the time, Banks also accepted employment for a family member and a protective detail service from the CHS Developers. Both were paid for by the FBI operatives through a Mississippi bank account controlled by Owens. The CHS developers spent $4,800 employing Banks’ family member and another $1,500 on the detail.
• February 15, 2024: Owens paid off $10,000 of Lee’s campaign debt via wire transfer from his campaign account. He documented the payment in a text to the CHS developers.
• February 28, 2024: Owens, Smith and the CHS Developers meet in Jackson. Owens proposes paying Lee an additional $5,000 a month from his campaign account. The group discusses the need for Lumumba to be involved. Owens said that without him, “could make things harder,” and explained that Lumumba had already agreed to take a trip to Fort Lauderdale with the CHS Developers. Owens warned the CHS Developers of the risk of attracting too much attention, referring to a previous federal corruption case against Louis Armstrong in Jackson. In explaining his decisions to only pay Banks $10,000 of the agreed amount, and how and why he paid Lee the way he did, Owens allegedly said, “Here’s the thing, at the end of the f–king day, my most important job is to keep everybody out of jail or prison, because I’m not f–king going.” Owens was then paid an additional $10,000 in cash. That evening, Owens proposed the CHS Developers would need to give Lumumba between $50,000-$100,000 and explained he would keep the money in the safe at the Hinds County District Attorney’s Office. Owens said there it would mix with “dope money and drug money and more than a million dollars.”
• March 5, 2024: Owens meets with CHS Developer 1 to discuss fact that submission deadline for RFQ had been extended from March 12th to April 30th. Owens called a city employee, and on speaker phone in front of the FBI operative, expressed concern that extending the deadline would invite other submissions for the project. Owens and CHS Developer 1 discuss the upcoming trip to Florida with Lumumba. Owens text Lumumba about the RFQ deadline and said, “Need to understand how to donate to your reelection campaign in a size able way that is most appropriate.” Later that day, Owens and CHS Developer 1 meet again. Owens proposed a “fundraiser” in Florida for Lumumba. Owens told the FBI operative that they could either have “ten guys with ten checks” there or Owens could give Lumumba ten checks in one envelope. He allegedly said, “what we used to do, if people wanted to say under the radar, you just give a bunch of different checks from a bunch of different companies.”
• March 10, 2024: The CHS Developers, Owens and Smith submit their RFQ proposal to the City of Jackson to build the hotel development near the Jackson Convention Center. The proposal shows a joint submission by Contour Companies and Facilities Solution Team. Owens and Smith are included in the proposal as “associated local businessmen.” Owens calls CHS Developer 1 to tell him he had met with Lumumba the previous evening and everyone was “on one accord,” and that they would give Lumumba a $50,000 “fundraiser” in Florida. Owens said he had assured Lumumba $50,000 was just the beginning and the “final number” was $100,000.
• March 19, 2024: Owens forms Facility Solutions Team, LLC. The filing list Owens as both the registered agent and the only officer of the business. Owens opens a Mississippi bank account for the business.
• March 27, 2024: Owens plans a dinner with Lee and the CHS Developers. Lee accepts an additional $3,000 in cash from CHS Developer 2 and provides her with his credit card. The FBI operative told Lee “don’t go too crazy, but have a f–ing great time.” The following day Lee purchases more than $6,000 in luxury goods at Mason Weiss using the credit card.
• March 28, 2024: Owens, Smith and the CHS Developers meet with Banks to discuss the RFQ deadline. Banks assures them he’s working to move the deadline back up and threatens to hold up the salary raises of city employees if necessary to get them to comply. Over the course of March 27-28th, the CHS Developers deliver $50,000 in cash to Owens at the Hinds County District Attorney’s Office. Owens converts that cash to five $10,000 “campaign contribution” checks for Lumumba.
• April 2, 2024: Owens, Lumumba, Smith and the CHS Developers travel to Fort Lauderdale, Florida together on a private jet paid for by the FBI. That same day Owens and Lumumba meet with the CHS Developers on the FBI yacht. CHS Developer 1 asked Lumumba to have the RFQ deadline moved up from April 30, 2024 to April 10 or 15th to prevent other submissions. Lumumba then places a phone call to a city employee and directed them to move the RFQ submission deadline to April 15th. Still images contained in the indictment show Lumumba making the phone call sitting next to Owens on the yacht. Lumumba is presented with an envelope containing the five checks cut by Owens. Lumumba accepts the checks. He is told “these checks are Mississippi checks but they’re from this group.” CHS Developer 2 asked Lumumba to confirm the RFQ submission deadline would be moved and he confirms. Lumumba is promised an additional $50,000 in payment. That same day, Owens accepts an additional $50,000 in cash contained in a bag for his services. Photos contained in the indictment show him removing the cash from the bag and putting it into his pockets. That evening, the men went to Tootsie’s strip club in Miami. Lumumba was given $5,000 in cash for his use.

• April 4, 2024: Lumumba deposits checks provided to him onboard the yacht in Fort Lauderdale into his campaign account. The account previously had a balance of $465.30.
• April 5, 2024: Lumumba writes himself a personal check in the amount of $9,500 out of campaign bank account.
• April 8, 2024: Lumumba writes himself a personal check in the amount of $5,000 from his campaign account. Both of the checks are cashed.
• May 22, 2024: The FBI conducts a search of Owen’s Hinds County District Attorney Office and one of his businesses. At his office, the FBI discovers a book purporting to be the Constitution of the United States. The inside of the book is cut out and contains $20,000 in cash, $9,900 of which is confirmed to be money matching serial numbers of the cash paid to Owens by the CHS Developers in December of 2023.