Several top elected officials in Mississippi’s most populous county are now defendants in a federal bribery probe.
HuffPost reporter Sam Levine tweeted an announcement from the Department of Justice, stating that an indictment was unsealed in U.S. District Court in the Southern District of Mississippi in which three high-profile officials have officially been charged with “participating in a bribery scheme to enrich themselves.”
According to the indictment, Jackson, Mississippi Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba, Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens and Jackson city council member (and former council president) Aaron Banks are all named as defendants. Mayor Lumumba confirmed his indictment to local NBC affiliate WLBT on Wednesday.
The indictment alleges that Jackson’s mayor, the district attorney in Jackson and members of Jackson’s city council conspired to accept bribes in exchange for official acts benefiting purported real estate developers,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, who heads the DOJ’s Criminal Division.
“Officials who abuse their positions of authority to enrich themselves undermine public confidence in government. The Justice Department is committed to restoring that confidence by working with its law enforcement partners to investigate and prosecute public corruption.”
Hellbound and Down 