Key facts
- Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens resigned and pleaded guilty to bribery conspiracy.
- Owens was indicted in November 2024 after FBI agents posed as developers offering bribes.
- He is accused of soliciting and accepting at least $115,000 in cash and facilitating over $80,000 in payments to co-conspirators.
- A portion of the funds was allegedly directed to Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba's reelection campaign.
- Lumumba lost his reelection bid and called the charges a political prosecution.
- Owens faces a potential sentence of up to five years in prison.
Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens has resigned and pleaded guilty to federal bribery conspiracy charges, stemming from an investigation where FBI agents posed as real estate developers. Owens was indicted in November 2024 and accused of soliciting and accepting at least $115,000 in cash, as well as facilitating over $80,000 in payments to alleged co-conspirators. These payments reportedly included $50,000 for the reelection campaign of Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba, who has called the charges a political prosecution and lost his bid for reelection last year.
Owens stated that his decision to resign and plead guilty was difficult but best for him, his family, and the District Attorney's Office. He faces a potential sentence of up to five years in prison.
Meanwhile, Lumumba and former Jackson City Council member Aaron B. Banks have pleaded not guilty and are scheduled to go to trial in mid-July. Another Jackson City Council member, Angelique Lee, and Sherik Marve Smith, identified as a relative of Owens, previously pleaded guilty to the federal bribery charges in 2024.