Former Hinds County DA Jody Owens disbarred after guilty plea to federal charges

The Mississippi Supreme Court has permanently disbarred Jody Owens, the former Hinds County district attorney, following his recent guilty plea to a federal charge of conspiring to commit bribery. The court’s decision came Wednesday after the Mississippi Bar requested Owens’ suspension earlier this month.

Owens resigned after pleading guilty in June to a federal felony related to an FBI operation targeting corruption in Mississippi’s capital city. He was working from his downtown Jackson office, which he referred to as his “War Room,” when he learned of his disbarment Wednesday afternoon, according to a Mississippi Today reporter.

Owens, a native of Terry in Hinds County, was admitted to the Mississippi Bar in 2006. He was elected Hinds County district attorney in 2019, running as a self-proclaimed “progressive prosecutor,” and defeated two rivals in the Democratic primary. His tenure drew federal scrutiny after undercover FBI agents posed as real estate developers seeking to build a hotel in Jackson and enlisted Owens to connect them with local officials, including former Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba and City Council Member Aaron Banks, according to an indictment released in fall 2024.

Owens, who also has experience in real estate, is scheduled for sentencing on Oct. 15 before U.S. District Judge Daniel P. Jordan III. He faces up to five years in prison. In a recent statement, Owens expressed pride in his work and indicated he is considering his next steps, citing inspiration from the 1996 film “The Preacher’s Wife” and the song “I Believe in Miracles” by Whitney Houston.

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