Former Democratic mayor of state capital city pleads guilty for role in six-figure real estate bribery scheme

Chokwe Antar Lumumba, the former mayor of Jackson, Mississippi, pleaded guilty Monday to one count of conspiracy for his role in a six-figure real estate bribery scheme . Lumumba, who served as Jackson's mayor from 2017 to 2025, allegedly accepted tens of thousands of dollars that Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens distributed to him and other city officials after accepting it from FBI agents posing as realtors. Owens, also a Democrat, pleaded guilty to federal conspiracy last week. LOUIS