Former Hinds County Prosecutor Gets Prison Term in Bribery Case

Jody Owens, former district attorney for Hinds County, was sentenced to more than three years in prison on November 5 for soliciting bribes tied to the awarding of city contract bids. The court also ordered him to pay a $100,000 fine. U.S. District Judge Daniel Jordan said Owens had used his position to undermine fair bidding for public contracts.

Owens apologized in court, saying he felt deep shame and had betrayed his family, friends and colleagues. Prosecutors alleged he requested $250,000 from two undercover FBI investigators posing as property developers in exchange for helping direct contract awards.

The indictment also accused Owens of facilitating more than $80,000 in bribes to former Jackson City Council President Aaron Banks, former Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba and former council vice president Angelique Lee in return for their help with a development project. Banks was sentenced to almost four years in prison on November 5. Lumumba pleaded guilty to conspiracy last summer and is awaiting sentencing.

In 2024, Lee and Sherik Marve Smith, an Owens relative, admitted guilt to federal bribery charges. Owens was first elected district attorney in 2019 after serving as Mississippi’s lead attorney for the Southern Poverty Law Center. During his campaign, he described himself as a criminal justice reformer, emphasizing prosecution of violent crime and alternatives to incarceration for nonviolent offenses.