The FBI investigated then Jackson-Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba's relationship with lobbyist Quincy Merkuro.
A federal grand jury indicted Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens, Mayor Lumumba, and City Councilman Aaron Banks on public corruption charges in 2023. Former Councilwoman Angelique Lee and insurance mogul Marve Smith pleaded guilty in federal court to conspiracy to commit bribery in 2023 as well.
Owens filed a motion to dismiss with a supporting memorandum and 47 exhibits Monday in U.S. District Court. The Justice Department almost immediately asked U.S. District Judge Daniel P. Jordan, III to seal the filing, claiming it violated a protective order. Prosecutors justified the request:
The Protective Order protects the disclosure of personal identifying information, financial information, grand jury testimony, and other sensitive witness statements, and protects the integrity of ongoing criminal investigations related to this case....
Judge Jordan granted the request and sealed the filings but not before most of the local media downloaded the motion and the supporting exhibits.
The first exhibit states FBI agents obtained permission to use a pen registry to trace phone coverage for Mayor Lumumba, Socrates Garrett, Akil Bakari, Hondo Lumumba, Safiya Omari, and Quincy Mukoro.*
Cornell University's Legal Information Institute defines a pen register:
A pen register is a device or process that traces outgoing signals from a specific phone or computer to their destination; it is often used by law enforcement as the advanced counterpart of an outgoing call log. A pen register produces a list of the phone numbers or IP addresses contacted, but does not include substantive information transmitted by the signals.
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The pen register request states:
This investigation was based on CHS reporting and interviews indicating that Quincy Mukoro, owner of the Octagon Group and the current lobbyist for the City of Jackson, was extorting individuals who were trying to obtain contracts with the City. Statements from Mukoro suggest that Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba may be receiving kickbacks from the fees Mukoro is obtaining in exchange for the contracts with the City. Based on a witness interview (serial 98), Mukuro told a witness that he is best friends with Mayor Lumumba and he can guarantee a contract with the City in exchange for a retainer fee of $50,000 to $70,000.
The previous pen register analysis shows that Mukuro and Mayor Lumumba are communicating on a regular basis. The investigative team is working on a plan to introduce CHS's to who can bid on contracts with the City of Jackson. The plan is for one, or multiple CHS's, to meet with and pay Mukoro to guarantee a contract with the City. The purpose of the new pen register is to show real time communications between the CHS's, Mukuro, and Mayor Lumumba as these interactions are occurring.
The investigation did not transform into a prosecution.
Kingfish note:The allegation vendors were forced to hire Mukoro if they wanted to obtain city business comes as no surprise as it was a rumor in heavy circulation around the Capitol and among the Street Committee in 2022.
* Omari was the Mayor's Chief of Staff. Hondo Lumumba is a close associate of Mayor Lumumba. Akil Bakari is an IT specialist who is a close associate of the Mayor. He obtained Jackson airport contracts and was supposed to get a fat, juicy IT contract under the new garbage contract but the City Council balked. Mukoro is a lobbyist who represented Jackson.
43 comments:
What's a 'pen registry' and who is Hondo Lumumba? I'm thinking he might have been in a Clint Eastwood movie.
There is a definition in the post. Try reading.
4:52. Quick draw smartasses like you waste so much of our time here. Next time, instead of trying to be funny, why don't you try READING the post first?
The term "pen register" is very old school, going back to the 80s, when it became known as a DNR, or dialed-number recorder. It makes me smile to see that term again in 2026.
It's a pen REGISTER, but this term much have gotten lost over the years. Been there, done that, in 70s and 80s.
By the nature of it's self-proclaimed radicalism the Lumumba administration made itself a target of FBI scrutiny. Then to make things worse they associated with people whose past radical associations brought even more heat. Jackson and Hinds County have always had corruption but never on such a blatant platform.
He be witch hunt.
"...witch hunt from day one: fighting acquisition after acquisition."
The Mayor Deedy Slaughter story is definitely worth a trip into Jackson Jambalaya Archives. In fact, just the look on her face, when she's attempting to say 'Integrity', is worth the trouble.
Serious question, I can’t imagine the FBI going after a sitting black democrat politician on their own, so who put them on Lumumba and company.?
The whole blatant corrupt awarding of the garbage contract was constantly in the news. The situation invited a FBI investigation.
7:16 You have a very limited imagination.
And you are incredibly naive.
7:16 - BENNY , try to keep up.
I cannot help but wonder what the feds gained by arresting two so early. The timing of that seemed very much according to a plan.
Great article as no one knew who Hondo was. My faith is in the FBI not the COJ!
Thousands of poor black people living without running water while garbage piled up in the streets attracted federal attention, the mayor in charge being black wasn’t enough to escape the eye of Sauron.
What if, not wanting to prosecute, but needing to wrap it all up, the Feds decided to run a sting that was so obvious that even the dumbest target would spit the bait, but ...?
So you’re saying Lumumba and Benny aren’t BFFs?
Why haven't you published any stories on this site about the Ted Dibiase trial? Protect corrupt Republicans but trash Owens and Lumumba.
Lumumba is the best mayor we ever had. He deserved to take a little extra money given all the good did.
If this goes to trial they are going to need a whole deck for all the race cards that will be played.
It is hard for me to cover trials, especially those that last more than a week. It means I am in a courtroom all day, can't work on the website until that night. I cover hearings but trials are a different story. The rest of the media is giving it heavy coverage. When the verdicts roll out, they will be posted here.
Question posed: "Who the hell is Hondo Lumumba?"
Answer in text: "Hondo Lumumba is a close associate of Mayor Lumumba."
I thought the question was appropriate. The text certainly answers the question...said nobody who is wondering.
Yeah @8:32, when it comes to reader engagement and direct feedback the Barksdalers really do suck.
Hondo was part of the Father's inner circle. It was said during Antar's reign, it was Hondo and Omari who really ran the show. Hondo was known as the enforcer of the regime. Antar rarely went anywhere without him.
8:50am Kingfish you don’t have to justify/explain to your readers every little thing. The Ted Dibiase trail is easy and everyone with a little inkling of sense know that Ted was blessed with monies aimed for TANIF. Ted did not steal, it was giving to him for services that he did not provide. Just let Ted do the work required in the contract and move on. The State Higher ups Gave/ Blessed Bret, Ted, Nancy and the rest monies earmarked for the needy.
Y’all going to have to stop taking money from the GOVMENT! Just say no and Contact the FBI.
Funny deuces name isn’t all in here…for years deuce would get a contract for X and then sublet it to someone else for a %
Disgusting
Name a single accomplishment.
Relative, brother, son, make believe mafia type?
It's called a third-party business-markup, which is entirely legal. Everything you buy has been priced based, in part, on pass-through markup, which to you, means a % of the cut.
Bennie hates Lumumba. That’s a widely known fact. Everyone hates Chokwe except for the ladies.
@11:22 AM
You are thinking of Drake.
Lumumba was never popular with the ladies. Maybe with his wife and daughters. But not anyone else. He’s like Steve Urkel without the brains or the Stephan Urkele persona.
Troll alert.
Chowke and sista Rukia have been very quiet lately. What mischief are they dreaming up?
Rudy was a much bigger piece of 'hanging fruit'. Not sure why KF has spent 24/7 piddle-dicking over Chokwe for seven years.
No one with a sane clear mind ever doubted that this bad stuff was going on. And continues to go on. How can one city that joins 6 other cities have much worst crime problems than the joining cities that are only a few hundred yards away? Some in th same county! I have heard all the excuses. Black and poor and my favorite of all (that's just Jackson)! I really like that one! The judges are all still on the take so the problems still exists and always will. The DA is been bought so he has to play the game. There is no stopping or getting out? It's like screwing with a gorilla. You can't stopping screwing until the gorilla is ready to stop......
They are fixin' to grift. Right?
Rukia, thanks for checking in.
@3:33 KF played a huge part in making sure the public was well informed re: Chokwe and IMO had an impact on seeing him defeated.
In the old days we had to read lies from new sources like the Clarion Ledger then write and mail a “letter to the editor.” And guess what? The editor edited the s__t out of them. LOL. That’s no joke. The Clarion Ledger “allowed” you to mail them a letter stating your position, then they rewrote it.
Be happy we have alternative media sources like JJ and find something else to be offended by.
Sounds like Hondo was Chokwe's Bobby Kennedy.
Trump’s border czar Tom Homan was allegedly caught by the fbi accepting $50K in cash. Enforce the laws equally and some people might believe that Chokwe isn’t a political pawn in Trump’s perverse sense of justice.
Everyone knows Diabese and Favre will get immediate presidential pardons if they are convicted.
Hey genius he was indicted during the brain trust Biden-Harris Administration!
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