After announcing his indictment in a video statement Wednesday, Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba pleaded not guilty to five felony counts in connection with his alleged role in the Jackson bribery scandal.

Lumumba appeared in the Thad Cochran United States Courthouse on Thursday at 1:30 pm to plead not guilty. He was joined by Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens and Ward 6 Councilman Aaron Banks, who are also allegedly involved in the scandal. Owens and Banks also pleaded not guilty.

“My client questions the sufficiency of the indictment,” said Thomas Bellinder, Lumumba’s attorney.

If convicted, Lumumba could face up to 70 years in prison and fines of up to $1.5 million.

In his video statement, Lumumba called the accusation “political prosecution.” He also said:

“Jackson Residents, I stand before you with great disappointment. My legal team has informed me that, in fact, federal prosecutors have charged me with bribery and related charges. To be clear, I have never accepted a bribe of any kind. As Mayor, I have always acted in the best interest of the citizens of Jackson. We believe this is a political process against me, designed primarily to destroy my credibility and reputation within the community just before the upcoming mayoral race. My team. legal will vigorously defend me against these charges. Once again, although I am disappointed, I am not discouraged, so I ask for your patience and prayers during this process.

Lumumba’s announcement comes just over two weeks later dodged the questions about his involvement in the Jackson bribery scandal. During a press conference on October 21, Lumumba repeated the phrase “I have never conspired with anyone to commit a crime” in multiple questions. The mayor admitted to having met the second conspirator involved in the scandal, Sherik Marve’ Smith, on more than one occasion.

Lumumba, who is expected to appear in federal court on Thursday, is the latest Jackson elected official to fall foul of the bribery scandal, following former District 2 Councilwoman Angelique Lee. Lee pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery in August after accepting bribes from two undercover FBI agents posing as Nashville real estate developers. The former councilwoman accepted bribes, totaling almost $20,000, in exchange for her vote in favor of the fake real estate company of undercover FBI agents for an urban hotel project, as well as the closure of a highway to promote the project.

The undercover FBI agents are referred to as “Individual 1” and “Individual 2” in court documents.

Lumumba is one of two Jackson elected officials involved in the scandal. The second official is known only as “Unidentified Co-conspirator B” and accepted bribes in exchange for a vote for the company of undercover FBI agents, just as Lee did, according to court documents. Ward 7 Councilwoman and Council President Virgi Lindsay previously confirmed that only one Jackson City Council member has the power to cast votes in favor of development projects.

The revelation that two more Jackson officials were involved came on October 17 when Smith, a local insurance specialist, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery. Smith’s information statement states that he and an “unindicted Co-conspirator A” agreed to give “cash payments and campaign contributions to unindicted Co-conspirator B and unindicted Co-conspirator C” from two undercover agents of the FBI who posed as Nashville real estate developers. .

Lumumba’s indictment reveals that he is “unindicted co-conspirator C.” All that is known about “unindicted co-conspirator A” is that he resides in Hinds County.

Court documents show that on April 2, Lumumba ordered a city employee to move up the deadline for the city’s long-awaited hotel project across from the Jackson Convention Complex. Lumumba agreed to push back the deadline after accepting $10,000 for his “re-election committee” on April 1, which was given to him as a check from Smith to conceal the true source of funding: Nashville “developers.”

Lumumba called and directed the city employee while sitting in a private room on a yacht with Owens and the undercover agents in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. The indictment shows a photo of Lumumba, sitting next to Owens, making the phone call.

After directing the employee, Lumumba allegedly received five $10,000 checks as a “campaign contribution.” Another image shows Lumumba holding an envelope and talking to Owens. He later went to a local club with Owens and the agents, where Owens ordered the agents to make cash available to Lumumba to use at the club. Lumumba also allegedly told agents to pay club employees cash for their benefit.

The city has aimed to build the hotel since the mid-2000s, according to previous statements by Jackson spokeswoman Melissa Payne. The last attempt was on Jan. 31, when the city released a statement of qualifications, or SOQ, for the project.

Three companies in total bid for the SOQ, according to a public records request Clarion Ledger received in August. One of the companies is called Facility Solutions Team, which was created by Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens in March. Two months later, on May 22, Owens’ businesses and offices were assaulted by the FBI, which also made a trip to Jackson City Hall.

After the raids, Lumumba said, “I don’t have any information about the district attorney or anyone else” during a May 28 press conference.

Owens, in a statement through his attorney released in August following Lee’s conviction, said he met with out-of-town developers about “the possibility of building a hotel at the convention center in Jackson.”

“He believed them and after multiple conversations, he agreed to help them. It turns out they were FBI agents,” Owens’ statement reads. “Given the state of the investigation, I do not believe it is appropriate to say anything more at this time.”

Following Lee’s guilty plea, three Jackson City Council members, Ward 1 Councilman Ashby Foote, Ward 5 Councilman Vernon Hartley, and Ward 7 Councilwoman and Council President Virgi Lindsay, They also said that they met with out-of-town developers. Ward 4 Councilman Brian Grizzell said he met a developer in passing; Ward 3 Councilman Kenneth Stokes said he might have received a call. All denied accepting bribes and none could verify whether they were the agents who bribed Lee. Ward 6 Councilman Aaron Banks has not responded to repeated requests for comment about the bribery scandal or whether he also met with the developers.

What all of the individual council members’ meetings have in common is that they were organized by District Attorney Owens.

Jackson City Council President Releases Statement

Following Lumumba’s announcement, Ward 7 Councilwoman and Council President Virgi Lindsay made a statement to the Clarion Ledger:

“As City Council Speaker, I approach the federal indictment against Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba with a sense of gravity and responsibility,” Lindsay said.

“My intention here is to speak directly to the people of the city of Jackson. I know that they must be patient, open-minded and empathetic, especially in times of pressure. I remind myself that the presumption of innocence is a fundamental principle of Por Therefore, I will remain firmly focused on the work of our City Council and trust that the legal system will develop without undue comment on my part. However, I will share relevant information with you as appropriate.

Will Lumumba resign?

With Lumumba’s role in the bribery scandal, it is unclear whether he will resign as mayor, a position he has held since he was first elected in 2017. The mayor is at the end of his second term, which ends July 1. of 2025. .

In February, Lumumba announced his intention to run for a third term. He reiterated this at the beginning of October. But after Smith pleaded guilty on October 17, the Clarion Ledger asked the mayor if an upcoming indictment would affect his plans to run for a third term. Lumumba was not clear, only referring to the statement he made on October 21: “I have never conspired with anyone to commit a crime.”

A special election had already been held when Lee pleaded guilty in August. In October, Tina Clay was elected to the District 2 seat on the council. Councilwoman Clay attended her first council meeting on Tuesday.

This article originally appeared in the Mississippi Clarion Ledger: MS bribery scandal: Jackson Mayor Lumumba charged with bribery by Justice Department