Follow-up: Former DA Jody Owens Sentenced to 41 Months, Former Councilman Aaron Banks to 45 Months in Jackson Bribery Case
Follow-up: The federal bribery case in Jackson, in Hinds County, Mississippi, reached sentencing on November 5, 2026. Former Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens was sentenced in federal court to 41 months in prison and fined $100,000. Former Jackson City Councilman Aaron Banks was sentenced the same day to 45 months in prison and fined $15,000. Both men had previously pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy in a case built on an FBI undercover operation in which agents posed as developers seeking to build a convention center hotel.
U.S. District Judge Daniel P. Jordan III handed down the sentences in federal court in Jackson. Prosecutors described Owens as the ringleader of the scheme: he helped get bribe money into the hands of Jackson officials in exchange for their support of the downtown convention center hotel project, including $50,000 to former Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba, $10,000 to Banks, and money and shopping trips for former Councilwoman Angelique Lee. The indictment accused Owens of soliciting bribes from two FBI agents posing as real estate developers and of facilitating more than $80,000 in bribes to city officials. Owens pleaded guilty on June 29, 2026, and resigned as district attorney the same day. He must report to prison on January 4, 2027, and the judge is recommending that he serve his sentence at the Federal Correctional Complex in Montgomery, Alabama.
Banks, the former Ward 6 councilman and a former council president, pleaded guilty on July 6, 2026, alongside Lumumba. The judge calculated an advisory sentencing range of 51 to 60 months and imposed 45 months, below that range. Banks must also report to prison on January 4, 2027, with the judge recommending the Federal Correctional Complex in Yazoo City, Mississippi.
Also convicted in the scheme are former Councilwoman Angelique Lee and Jackson businessman Sherik Marve' Smith, who previously pleaded guilty. Lumumba's sentencing has been postponed to November 20, when, the judge said, he faces between 37 and 46 months in prison. Prosecutors said Lumumba accepted $50,000 in campaign contributions from the undercover operatives in exchange for helping move the hotel project forward.
The investigation became public in November 2024, when federal prosecutors unveiled an indictment that shook Jackson City Hall and the Hinds County District Attorney's Office. GSM reported on October 28 that the three men's sentencings had been pushed back again, with Owens and Banks set for November 5 and Lumumba moved to November 20.
Source: U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：美国司法部总部大楼（联邦机构固定图库）。 / Photo: U.S. Department of Justice headquarters (federal agency photo library).
- 2026-10-28Sentencing of Former Jackson, Mississippi Mayor Delayed Again: Lumumba to Be Sentenced November 20; Owens and Banks Still Set for November 5
- 2026-11-05Follow-up: Former DA Jody Owens Sentenced to 41 Months, Former Councilman Aaron Banks to 45 Months in Jackson Bribery CaseThis story
