U.S. District Judge Daniel Jordan III ordered that any of the defendants who wish to plead guilty must do so by May 29, according to a court order filed Thursday. The deadline comes ahead of a six-week trial slated to begin July 13.
Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens, former Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba and former Jackson City Councilman Aaron Banks previously pleaded not guilty in November 2024 after being indicted in October 2024, court records show.
The October 2024 indictment charges Owens with 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, according to prosecutors. The indictment charges Lumumba with one count of conspiracy to commit 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 of money laundering. Banks is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit bribery and three counts of federal program bribery.
Prosecutors say the indictments stem from a bribery scheme in which undercover FBI agents posed as convention center and hotel developers, according to the charging documents. The indictment details FBI-funded private planes, a yacht, a Miami strip club and stacks of marked bills, prosecutors said.
Defense attorneys have repeatedly sought to dismiss the federal case, arguing entrapment, requesting a change of venue and asking for separate trials, court filings show. The case also involved former City Councilwoman Angelique Lee and businessman Sherik Smith, both of whom pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges in 2024, according to court records.
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
