JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI - IS MAYOR CHOKWE LUMUMBA & HIS FREE THE LAND THUGS FINALLY HEADING TO PRISON?

Synopsis of Case by Kingfish at Jackson Jambalaya

Former Jackson Ward 2 Councilwoman Angelique Lee pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bribery in August.

The Jackson Redevelopment Authority issued a request for proposals for the convention center hotel project in September 2023. JRA withdrew the RFP. The city of Jackson issued a request for statement of qualifications for the Convention Center hotel project in January 2024.

Three companies submitted responses: Speed Commercial Real Estate, 2K Development LLC, and Facility Solutions Team. Facility Solutions Team is owned by Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens and Marve Smith. It is odd for a district attorney to engage in real estate development but Owens has been involved in real estate for over a decade. Owens created the company on March 19, a week after the RFQ's March 12 deadline.

Somewhere along the way, the District Attorney met two FBI agents posing as Nashville investors. Since the contract for the project would eventually require approval from the Jackson City Council, Owens introduced his new-found money men to members of the Jackson City Council. Council members Ashby Foote, Virgi Lindsey, and Vernon Hartley said they met with Owens and his new-found friends at various restaurants in the Jackson area. None of these three members took the bait.

However, Councilwoman Lee took a different path.

Lee was in the news for various troubles over the last year. She pleaded guilty to a DUI-other charge in Madison in June 2023 but the media did not discover the conviction until March after Council President Aaron Banks was arrested for a DUI. The media duly reported the news of both arrests.

Lee was elected to the City Council in a 2020 special election after Melvin Priester, Jr. resigned. The Councilwoman never paid A2Z for her yard signs and other campaign materials. A2Z Printing sued and obtained a default judgment against Lee. After collection efforts failed, the company started garnishing her City Council paycheck in October 2023. Thus Lee was somewhat vulnerable to bribery when the District Attorney and his federal friends came calling.

Owens introduced Lee to the "investors." The would-be developers said they needed her help in steering the contract to Owens as well as closing a road near the convention center. The "investors" paid her A2Z bill by providing the funds to Owens. Owens deposited the funds in his PAC account. The PAC in turn wired the money to A2Z. Debt paid. However, the bribery continued as Lee's taste for nice things arose.

A Justice Department attorney said at Lee's arraignment Wednesday that Lee had dinner with the District Attorney and the "investors" on March 27. The dinner was quite the jovial affair as Lee decided she needed some of the finer things in life for her troubles. A girl's got to do what a girl's got to do, right? Lee agreed to go on a shopping spree the next day but with a twist: the "investors" would pay for the shopping spree on their credit card.

Lee also thanked the "investors" for paying off her A2Z bill. The dinner was quite profitable for Lee as one of the agents gave her a bag containing $3,000 in cash to pay for her trip to the White House (Yes, you read that correctly. The Councilwoman took a bag full of cash from strangers.) Earlier post with transcript.

Lee went on a $6,000 shopping spree at a "luxury store" in Jackson and other stores on March 28. Luxury brands such as Louis Vutton appeared on her bill. The trap didn't close on the hapless Councilwoman until the Fibbies executed a search warrant of her home on May 22 and recovered all items but a bottle of cologne as Lee gave that to her boyfriend.

U.S. District Judge Daniel Jordan, III is scheduled to sentence her on November 13.

The FBI seized the cellphones of Owens, Lee, Ward 6 Councilman Aaron Banks, Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba, and at least three other individuals in May.

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#jackson_mississippi #free_the_land #chokwe_antar_lumumba #mississippi #clay_edwards #jody_owens #save_jxn #black_democrats

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