Jackson Jambalaya

 The Court sealed the motion a day later after the government objected but not before the media (including this website) downloaded the exhibits and published them.  The exhibits were quite salacious in nature as they revealed confidential informants, previously unknown investigations into Jackson corruption, and the identities of FBI agents.  It was quite a treasure trove of information, much to the government's chagrin.  

The Government offers 14 pages of facts demonstrating Owens’s active involvement in the bribery scheme, mostly based on his own recorded statements.... Owens spends little time disputing those facts, and the Court accepts them for purposes of this motion.

Although Owens claimed the government initiated the bribery scheme, the Court said what matters is the defendant's conduct after joining the criminal enterprise even if the government initiates the scheme.  The District Attorney's recorded statements came back to haunt him: 

In addition, the Government cites evidence that Owens was a willing participant as many of his statements touted his experience with similar bribery schemes involving some of the same players For instance, he is recorded in January 2024 stating that when paying city council members, “[w]e never give them the asking prices. . . . He gets installments. That’s my game."

He also discussed ways to launder the money that again suggested past bribery schemes (stating that he “needed to clean it and spread it That’s why we have businesses. To clean the money) (stating that “the vehicle I like the most is campaign donations, that way I can clean the money through companies and through individuals”).

Owens, held the Court, can challenge these statements at trial but they were accepted for reviewing the motion to dismiss.  

The Court next took up Owens' claim he was targeted by the Fibbies.  The Federalis said the investigation began in 2022 but Owens was not a suspect.  His name surfaced so they started investigating him in October 2023.  

The order states the FBI was investigating the District Attorney in 2022 for possible PPP violations by his Downtown Cigar Company.   

Owens threw up the arrest of his investigator Torrence Mayfield as evidence of targeting.  The defendant accused the FBI of trying to pressure Mayfield to turn on his boss and indicted him when he refused to do so.  Mayfield later pleaded guilty to buying a firearm for Tonarri Moore, a convicted felon.  

The Court again said nice try and pointed out Mayfield was indicted and the indictment was sealed before Owens hired the former JPD officer.  The indictment was sealed because the Fibbies were also investigating former Hinds County Interim Sheriff Marshand Crisler.  The Crisler indictment was unsealed the day after the Mayfield indictment was unsealed. 

The order dished a little bit of dirt on Crisler:  

According to Crisler, Owens allegedly agreed to assist with “an expungement” of an undercover agent’s felony convictions. But the Government notes that it only offers this information as “another example of how Owens’s name kept coming up in various contexts during investigations...

The Court discarded the targeting defense.  The Owens motion to dismiss claims the defendant was improperly induced to participate in the bribery scheme.  However, Judge Jordan said Owens never "expressly rejected" the bribery scheme nor did he ever show he resisted going on the Nashville trip. It was a theme Judge Jordan returned to again and again in his opinion: Owens was willing to maintain contact with developers he knew were interesting in bribing public officials.  

Indeed, the Court said Owens "inserted" himself into the scheme when he appeared at the first meeting between agents and the cigar shop employee without invitation.  

Although Owens claimed the FBI used his alcoholism to induce him with drink, the Court said he seemed "sober" during the execution of the bribery payments.  The judge pointed out the FBI did not provide alcohol to Owens when he chose to accept the all-expenses paid trip to Nashville with people he knew were interested in bribing him.  The agents, held the Court, did not commit outrageous conduct by providing Owens with drinks once he arrived in Nashville. 

Judge Jordan drove a final nail into the Owens claim the government manufactured the scheme as he ruled numerous cases allow the government to suggest a scheme.  

Owens also argued the government lied to the grand jury while hiding exculpatory evidence from the grand jury.  However (notice how "however" is used quite a bit in this post), a defendant has no right to have such evidence presented to a grand jury.   

The defendant struck out on his entrapment claim as well.  Owens needed to show there was government inducement of a crime and a lack of predisposition on his part.  Judge Jordan said Owens showed up at the initial meeting "under circumstances suggesting predisposition" since he was not invited by the agents.  In what can only be a foreshadowing of what might take place at trial, the Court held the evidence does not support Owens' claim he rejected the scheme.  If anything, recorded statements showed Owens' possible experience with bribery schemes and how to commit them. 

The Court wrapped up the opinion by disposing of the "speaking indictment" defense.   Most federal indictments are only a few pages long as they recite the charges and a minimal statement of the allegations.   The Owens/Lumumba indictment was over thirty pages long and chock-full of salacious information such as the Nashville trip, partying in Miami, and the use of private jets.  However, the Court noted Owens never moved to strike any of the "surplusage" language in the indictment.   

Ironically, the Court held, Owens did the same thing in his motion to dismiss as he packed it with juicy information about the bribery scheme and Nashville trip in an attempt to discredit the prosecution.   His motion was quickly disseminated through traditional and social media before it was sealed less than a day after filing.  The Court said it could have been done to taint the jury pool as well.  

The case is scheduled to go to trial July 13.  Plea offers are due by the end of the month.  

Synopsis of Case

A federal grand jury indicted Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba, Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens, and Jackson Ward 6 Councilman Aaron Banks on corruption charges on October 23, 2024* Earlier post with copy of indictment. 

Undercover FBI agents posed as developers.  They approached Owens about partnering on a convention center hotel. The District Attorney is also a real estate investor.  Owens in turned introduced them to most members of the Jackson City Council and Mayor Lumumba.  The agents used a common line throughout the introductions: Who are the movers and shakers of Jackson and how much do we have to pay to play in the City with Soul? 

Two Council members bit - Ward 2 Councilwoman Angelique Lee and Ward 6 Councilman Aaron Banks. Lee sold her votes for $3,000 cash and a $20,000 shopping spree.  Lee and Insurance agent Marve Smith pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery. Banks stands accused of accepting a bribe as well. 

Meanwhile, the FBI had a bigger target than two-bit councilmen - Mayor Lumumba.  Owens introduced the undercovers to Hizzoner.  The indictment charges they discussed giving the Mayor $50,000 to take care of permits and other matters.   The Mayor allegedly had them make five $10,000 contributions to his campaign account.  The Mayor in turn withdrew the money for his personal use.  His campaign finance reports reported the contributions but did not report the associated disbursements.   

The indictment alleges Owens and Smith met the developers at his cigar bar in the "back room" where the partners in crime "negotiated" an upfront payment of $250,000.  The payment would be split between Owens ($100,000), Smith ($100,000), and Owens' employee ($50,000). 

The agents flew Owens and others up to Nashville in a private jet and partied in a plush penthouse for a weekend.  However, that was not the only trip as the agents took Owens and the Mayor down to Miami again in a private jet where they partied in strip clubs and on the yacht of Donnie Brasco fame. 

 The Owens trio met with the undercovers in Miami in December 2023.  Once again, they flew on a private jet paid for by the FBI.  Owens and the undercovers hammered out the terms of the bribes on a yacht.  The "developers" gave Owens $125,000 in cash to split among he and his partners. .

 It was all recorded on video.  

The case is scheduled for trial in July.  It is assigned to U.S. District Judge Daniel P. Jordan.