The leader of Mississippi’s capital city, the state’s largest city, Jackson, Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba, announced an indictment on federal corruption charges, and activist Rukia Lumumba is calling for people to open their eyes to what’s really happening.
Rukia is the daughter of civil rights activist and former Jackson Mayor Chokwe Lumumba and the sister of current Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar.
According to Mississippi Today, Lumumba was indicted by a grand jury after undercover FBI agents posing as real estate investors invited the mayor to a fundraiser in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, in April. 3. The agents used the excuse that they wanted to develop property in downtown Jackson across the street from the convention center and help fund the mayor’s 2025 reelection campaign.
The lot has been vacant for years following 20 years of failed bids and political disarray.
In a video statement, the mayor vowed that he “never accepted a bribe of any type.” “My legal team has informed me that federal prosecutors have indicted me on bribery and related charges,” he said.
“As mayor, I have always acted in the best interests of the citizens of Jackson.”
This news comes just days after Mayor Lumumba was inducted into the National Civil Rights Hall of Fame.
Rukia, also the former campaign manager of the Committee to Elect Chokwe Antar Lumumba, says people need to “wake up” in light of the charges.
Court documents reveal the agency garnered the help of an unsuspecting Hinds County District Attorney, Jody Owens, who is passionate about real estate and business consulting. They then created a company called Facility Solutions Team (FST), hoping Owens would deliver campaign contributions to the mayor on their behalf.
While working with Owens, the undercover feds worked to create a proposal in early 2024 to submit in response to the city’s Statement of Qualifications (SOQ), a document explaining the city’s needs and garnering interest from developers. However, it does not guarantee a contract with the city. Federal court documents describe Lumumba’s official act as directing a city employee to advance a deadline on the SOQ to an earlier date. For the government to establish a bribe or “quid pro quo,” a public official must officially agree to take an official act in exchange for the benefit.
The mayor had already engaged in conversation with the
city’s Planning and Development Director, Jhai Keeton, to establish when the bid should end. They originally chose to extend it for close to a month and a half in late February 2024. Keaton originally said FST was the only developer who expressed interest in the project and he wanted to give developers more time to respond.When the mayor was in Florida, he called Keeton and told him to move the deadline back to April 16. The director didn’t think much about it since Lumumba had already said, “We don’t want to lose anyone we’ve got hoping to get new people.”
According to the Clarion-Ledger, Lumumba is scheduled to face a judge in federal court on Nov. 7 and has been added to the list of elected officials in Jackson named in a bribery scandal, including former Ward 2 Councilwoman Angelique Lee.
BLACK ENTERPRISE spoke briefly with Rukia on the morning of Nov. 7 and learned the charges are unknown because the court sealed the indictment and “won’t let [Mayor Chokwe Lumumba] or his attorneys see until today.”
BE is following this case closely and will provide updates as this story develops.
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