Soros-backed Mississippi DA, local mayor indicted on federal bribery charges

It is alleged by the Justice Department that Hinds County district attorney Jody Owens and Democratic Jackson Mayor Choke Antar Lumumba both accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes from undercover FBI informants posing as real estate developers seeking projects in downtown Jackson, Mississippi.

Prosecutors claim District Attorney Owens solicited $115,000 in bribes from undercover informants and instructed them to pass $50,000 to Lumumba. The mayor allegedly accepted the funds in exchange for "exerting his influence and taking official action relating to the Developers' proposed project in downtown Jackson."

Both Owens and Lumumba reportedly rose to power with significant backing from prominent political figures. Owens, elected in 2019 on a platform promoting "alternatives to incarceration," received $500,000 in campaign funding from George Soros’s Mississippi Justice and Public Safety PAC, according to the Capital Research Center.

Owens, previously an attorney for the Southern Poverty Law Center, faced sexual harassment allegations during his campaign. Furthermore, while in office, he has been accused of drawing a firearm during an incident at his chief of staff’s residence.

Vermont Sen. Sanders endorsed Lumumba in 2021: "I'm proud to endorse Mayor Chokwe Lumumba for reelection because he is a consistent fighter for the working families of Jackson, Mississippi," Sanders wrote at the time. "As Mayor, he has been a strong advocate for justice, progress, and equity."

If convicted, both Owens and Lumumba face up to 20 years in prison. They pleaded not guilty on Thursday.

"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," Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department's criminal division, said.

Prosecutors say that Owens discussed the bribery plot in a series of conversations with undercover agents from October 2023 to May 2024.

"I don't give a sh*t where the money comes from," he said. "It can come from blood diamonds in Africa, I don't give a f*cking sh*t. I'm a whole DA. F*ck that sh*t. My job, as I understand it, with a little paperwork, is to get this deal done, and get it done most effectively,” he allegedly said, the Washington Free Beacon reported.

He is now the latest Soros-backed prospector to make headlines for the wrong reasons. Soros also funded the campaign of former St. Louis circuit attorney Kim Gardner, who resigned in May 2023 after she mishandled an armed robbery case. The suspect had violated his bond dozens of times and paralyzed a teenage girl in a car accident.