Less than two months before the high-profile Jackson bribery trial is scheduled to begin, a federal judge has denied attempts by the defendants to get the case thrown out.
Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens and former Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba had separate motions to dismiss denied Thursday by U.S. District Judge Daniel Jordan III. Jordan also denied a motion to sever the trial from Lumumba and former Jackson City Councilman Aaron Banks’ respective attorneys, meaning the defendants would have been tried separately.
Jordan’s rulings mean the public corruption trial is still on pace for its July 13 start date.
Owens, Lumumba, and Banks were indicted in November 2024 as part of an investigation by the FBI with a proposed downtown convention center hotel development at the center. Developers – later revealed to be FBI agents – exposed a broader string of public corruption through bribes, private planes, and yachts, court records assert.
Of the motions to dismiss the case, Owens argued the FBI set him up by exploiting his diagnosed alcoholism, essentially manufacturing a crime that would not have happened if the government did not get involved. While Jordan denied Owens’ request to throw out the indictment entirely – writing that the case is not the “rarest [of] circumstances” justifying a pretrial dismissal – his ruling does not prevent Owens from arguing entrapment when trial begins.
Legal representation of Lumumba, who served as the capital city’s mayor from 2017 to 2025 before losing a second reelection bid amid his legal fight, argued the former elected official did not commit an “official act” under federal bribery law. Jordan rejected that, as well.
Owens, Lumumba, and Banks have all pleaded not guilty.
The trial was initially scheduled for Jan. 6 of this year, but both the prosecution and the defendants requested and received a delay last year due to the sheer number of materials turned over by the FBI. The court has already begun issuing questionnaires to potential jurors with both sides set to meet June 8 to begin removing prospective jurors as they work toward a final 12.
Feds allege web of backdoor dealings
Owens, Lumumba, and Banks stand accused of weaving a convoluted web of backdoor dealings to enrich themselves.
According to court records unsealed in November 2024, Owens and his cousin and local businessman Sherik Marve Smith worked with individuals they believed to be Nashville-based developers, but who were actually undercover FBI agents, to steer a downtown convention center hotel development project through city government in exchange for cash payments and campaign contributions.
Prosecutors allege undercover agents paid out hundreds of thousands of dollars during the operation, including a negotiated $250,000 upfront payment, a later $125,000 cash exchange, and additional payments allegedly intended for Owens, Banks, former Jackson City Councilwoman Angelique Lee, and Lumumba.
Court records allege Owens repeatedly discussed using campaign accounts and businesses to “clean” money while leveraging political influence to secure support for the project and influence the city’s request-for-qualification process.
In one recorded meeting, prosecutors allege Lumumba accepted five $10,000 campaign contribution checks that Owens said had been routed through Mississippi-based accounts to avoid scrutiny. Authorities also allege Lumumba directed a city employee to adjust the RFQ submission deadline to limit additional proposals for the project.
Federal agents later raided Owens’ office, where investigators say they discovered roughly $20,000 in cash hidden inside a lockbox designed to resemble a copy of the U.S. Constitution. Prosecutors also allege Owens claimed during undercover meetings that he kept as much as $1 million in cash in a safe at his office.
Both Smith and Lee have pleaded guilty to their roles in the scheme, with Lee admitting to accepting thousands of dollars in cash and luxury shopping trips in exchange for her support of the project.
What charges are each facing?
Lumumba, Owens, and Banks were each indicted on multiple charges in the case.
- Owens faces one count of conspiracy, five counts of federal bribery, one count of racketeering, one count of wire fraud, one count of money laundering, and one count of false statements.
- Lumumba faces one count of conspiracy, two counts of federal bribery, one count of racketeering, one count of wire fraud, and one count of money laundering.
- Banks faces one count of conspiracy and two counts of federal bribery.
According to the Department of Justice, Owens faces a maximum of 100 years in prison while Lumumba faces up to 75 years and Banks up to 15 years.
Will the trial stay in Jackson?
That’s one of the final pretrial questions yet to be answered – especially after the recent motions were rejected by Jordan.
Federal prosecutors are pushing for the trial to be moved away from the Thad Cochran U.S. Courthouse and out of the capital city. They contend that a combination of continuous media coverage and the pretrial motions that brought more details to light will make it nearly impossible to select a jury and ensure a fair trial.
“Given the defendants’ positions, the pretrial publicity concerning this case has been extraordinary and pervasive. But it has also been exacerbated more recently by Owens’ public filing of documents and information that should have been restricted or redacted,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly Purdie wrote in a recent filing.
“At this point, the pretrial publicity has gotten to a level that the government contends has tainted the perspective of the community from which the jury panel is to be selected,” she continued.
Purdie asked for the trial, which could go on for weeks, to be moved to Gulfport. If it does not get moved, she is asking for jurors to be pulled from a different part of the state.
Attorneys representing Owens, Lumumba, and Banks are opposed to the transfer, Purdie noted in the filing.
Jordan ordered both sides to provide additional arguments by June 15 on why the case should or should not be moved.
