Former Jackson Councilman Aaron Banks Sentenced to 45 Months in Bribery Case
Former Jackson, Mississippi, city councilman Aaron Banks was sentenced in federal court on November 5 to 45 months in prison and a $15,000 fine. U.S. District Judge Daniel P. Jordan III handed down the sentence in federal court in Jackson; Banks must report to prison on January 4, 2027, and the judge recommended he serve his term at the Federal Correctional Institution in Yazoo City.
Banks, who represented Jackson's Ward 6 on the council, pleaded guilty on July 6 to one count of conspiracy, admitting he took cash and other benefits in a bribery scheme in exchange for supporting a development project. The case was uncovered by an FBI undercover operation in which agents posed as developers proposing a convention center hotel in downtown Jackson. The case also implicated former mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba and former Hinds County district attorney Jody Owens, who was also sentenced earlier the same day.
The investigation became public in November 2024 when federal prosecutors unsealed indictments, shaking Jackson City Hall and the Hinds County prosecutor's office. Banks is the latest official in the case to be sentenced. The judge noted at sentencing that officials who use their office for personal gain damage public trust in government. Banks' attorney did not say in court whether he would appeal.
(Source: Clarion Ledger)
Source: Clarion Ledger
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 杰克逊密西西比州议会大厦（图：Wikimedia Commons，CC BY-SA 4.0） / The Mississippi State Capitol in Jackson (Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0)
