A trial date has been set for a trio of leaders in Mississippi’s capital city wrapped up in a bribery scandal.
On Friday, District Judge Daniel P. Jordan established that the trial for Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba, Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens, and Jackson City Councilman Aaron Banks will begin on July 13, 2026. The trial was initially scheduled to start on January 6 of this year, but attorneys representing the defendants filed a joint motion to delay courtroom proceedings.
Specifically, the defendants’ legal counsel argued that there was not enough time to execute the discovery stage of the pretrial procedure. The defense was looking to thoroughly examine a large quantity of discovery materials, which attorneys contended would take over a year to assess. The judge ultimately acquiesced to the request to delay the trial, and now an official date has been marked on the calendar.
The three elected officials recently pleaded not guilty to an array of federal charges as part of a bribery investigation by the FBI.
Owens, along with his cousin and local businessman Sherik Marve Smith, is said to have orchestrated a bribery conspiracy to ensure two real estate developers – who were actually FBI informants – would be awarded a real estate development adjacent to the city’s convention center. As part of the alleged scheme, approval from the city council was promised to the informants posing as developers.
Owens, Smith, Lumumba, Banks, and former councilwoman Angelique Lee all allegedly accepted bribes from the ‘developers.’ While Lee and Smith fessed up to their involvement in the ordeal, Owens, Lumumba, and Banks have maintained their innocence amid a combined 17 charges ranging from conspiracy to bribery to racketeering.
A full rundown of the federal investigation into the elected leaders and their charges can be found here.