{"id":125766,"date":"2024-11-14T14:30:53","date_gmt":"2024-11-14T07:30:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=125766"},"modified":"2024-11-14T14:30:53","modified_gmt":"2024-11-14T07:30:53","slug":"how-the-fbi-ensnared-a-citys-leaders-in-a-bribery-investigation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=125766","title":{"rendered":"How the FBI ensnared a city\u2019s leaders in a bribery investigation"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p class=\"\">JACKSON, Miss. \u2014 For out-of-state developers hoping to bring a win to Mississippi\u2019s capital, their pitch was flat.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">The city had long been searching for someone to develop part of downtown Jackson, and when two men showed up expressing their interest in late February, City Council member Virgi Lindsay agreed to meet with them at an upscale steakhouse in a nearby suburb.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">But they had \u201cno vision,\u201d Lindsay said in an interview, and they were short on details. She could not recall whether they even offered a business card.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"styles_inlineImage__yAWZ0 styles_medium__OMa6x\"><picture class=\"styles_image__1qciH\" data-testid=\"picture\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1000px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-560w,f_avif,q_auto:eco,dpr_2\/rockcms\/2024-11\/241111-councilwoman-virgi-lindsay-bribery-investigation-wm-245p-efe85a.jpg 2x, https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-560w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2024-11\/241111-councilwoman-virgi-lindsay-bribery-investigation-wm-245p-efe85a.jpg 1x\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 320px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_avif,q_auto:eco,dpr_2\/rockcms\/2024-11\/241111-councilwoman-virgi-lindsay-bribery-investigation-wm-245p-efe85a.jpg 2x, https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2024-11\/241111-councilwoman-virgi-lindsay-bribery-investigation-wm-245p-efe85a.jpg 1x\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2024-11\/241111-councilwoman-virgi-lindsay-bribery-investigation-wm-245p-efe85a.jpg\" alt=\"Virgi Lindsay \" height=\"1741\" width=\"2500\"\/><\/picture><figcaption class=\"caption styles_caption__Pe5JC\" data-testid=\"caption\"><span class=\"caption__container\" data-testid=\"caption__container\">Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens invited several City Council members, including Virgi Lindsay, pictured, to meet with developers.<\/span><span class=\"caption__source\" data-testid=\"caption__source\">Lauren Witte \/ Clarion Ledger \/ USA Today via Imagn<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"\">She left the dinner \u2014\u00a0after having paid for her own meal, a personal policy that is a holdover from her days as a newspaper reporter, she said \u2014\u00a0 not expecting to join them at a ribbon-cutting any time soon.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">\u201cI just thought I would never see them again, because I just felt like they were so poorly prepared,\u201d Lindsay said. \u201cI certainly did not suspect they were connected to the FBI.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Now, Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens, who invited her to the meeting and was present, is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/us-news\/jackson-mayor-local-mississippi-officials-accused-bribery-rcna179192\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">accused in a federal indictment<\/a> filed in the Southern District of Mississippi of participating in and facilitating a bribery scheme that ensnared the mayor and members of the City Council. The out-of-state \u201cdevelopers\u201d were FBI agents. As part of a sting operation, they sought support from officials in Jackson, the state\u2019s largest city, for a phony hotel deal in exchange for cash and perks like shopping sprees and personal security details.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Owens, Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba and City Council member Aaron Banks were indicted last month on conspiracy and bribery charges. All have pleaded not guilty. A trial is set for early January.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"styles_inlineImage__yAWZ0 styles_medium__OMa6x\"><picture class=\"styles_image__1qciH\" data-testid=\"picture\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1000px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-560w,f_avif,q_auto:eco,dpr_2\/rockcms\/2024-11\/241111-mayor-lumumba-jjackson-bribery-investigation-wm-247p-24423b.jpg 2x, https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-560w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2024-11\/241111-mayor-lumumba-jjackson-bribery-investigation-wm-247p-24423b.jpg 1x\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 320px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_avif,q_auto:eco,dpr_2\/rockcms\/2024-11\/241111-mayor-lumumba-jjackson-bribery-investigation-wm-247p-24423b.jpg 2x, https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2024-11\/241111-mayor-lumumba-jjackson-bribery-investigation-wm-247p-24423b.jpg 1x\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2024-11\/241111-mayor-lumumba-jjackson-bribery-investigation-wm-247p-24423b.jpg\" alt=\"Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba\" height=\"1574\" width=\"2500\"\/><\/picture><figcaption class=\"caption styles_caption__Pe5JC\" data-testid=\"caption\"><span class=\"caption__container\" data-testid=\"caption__container\">Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba has been indicted on conspiracy and bribery charges. He has pleaded not guilty.<\/span><span class=\"caption__source\" data-testid=\"caption__source\">Barbara Gauntt \/ Clarion Ledger \/ USA Today via Imagn<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"\">A City Council member, Angelique Lee, resigned in August and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery. Sherik Marve Smith \u2014 a relative of Owens who court records say conspired to give \u201cthings of value,\u201d including cash payments and campaign donations, to elected officials in exchange for their support for the real estate project \u2014 also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery. Smith did not respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">No other City Council members have been charged.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">The allegations in the federal indictment paint a picture of people entrusted to public office in a city where roughly 26% of residents live in poverty being accused of receiving more than $100,000 in \u201cbribe payments\u201d while being whisked away to hobnob on private jets and yachts.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">The bribery scandal is the latest in a series of challenges Jackson has faced in recent years. Last year residents went <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/us-news\/jackson-mississippi-trash-collection-contract-rcna78174\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">without garbage pickup<\/a> for roughly two weeks amid a contract dispute.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">That breakdown came on the heels of a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/nbcblk\/jackson-mississippi-still-dealing-water-crisis-rcna65563\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">water system crisis<\/a> that left much of the city without access to running water for days in 2022. The problems with the water system persisted, with residents being asked to boil their water for safety amid reports of brown water, leaking sewage and low water pressure. The system is now under the control of an interim third-party manager.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">\u201cPeople are tired; they just want some good stuff done,\u201d said Vernon Hartley, a City Council member for one of the city\u2019s poorest wards.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">The indictment lays out a roughly eight-month period when two FBI agents, posing as developers from Nashville, worked with Owens to secure support they would need to win a development project in the city.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">The undercover FBI agents arrived in Jackson in July 2023 looking for potential real estate opportunities and were put in touch with Owens, according to the indictment.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">The city had received a multimillion-dollar loan from the Department of Housing and Urban Development in 2008 to be used to pay for development projects in the city\u2019s downtown, and the city struggled to find anyone to take up the project throughout the years. The city made another effort in July 2023 to find developers by issuing a public request.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Owens was campaigning for re-election when the developers flew him and others to Nashville on a private jet in October 2023 to discuss business opportunities in Jackson.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">After that trip, the indictment alleges, Owens boasted to undercover agents that he and Smith had \u201ca bag of f&#8212;&#8212; information on all the city councilmen\u201d that allowed him to \u201cget votes approved.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">A few weeks later, he would win re-election by a wide margin. At his victory party, he told developers that being the district attorney was a \u201cpart time job\u201d that he used to get leverage for his full time job of real estate development, the indictment alleges.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">\u201cThis is the part time job to get the conversations and the access. Access equals the other sh-t we\u2019re trying to do,\u201d he said, according to the indictment.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Owens, whose attorney did not respond to a request for comment, said after last week\u2019s arraignment that \u201ccherry-picked statements of drunken locker room banter is not a crime.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">The next day, Owens and Smith negotiated a $250,000 payout to be divided between them and an unidentified person, with Owens and Smith receiving $100,000 each for securing support for the developers\u2019 project, according to the indictment.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">In December, the developers flew Smith, Owens and an unidentified witness to Florida on a private jet for a meeting on a yacht. Owens is alleged to have accepted $125,000 in cash from one of the agents on the yacht, according to the indictment.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"styles_inlineImage__yAWZ0 styles_medium__OMa6x\"><picture class=\"styles_image__1qciH\" data-testid=\"picture\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1000px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-560w,f_avif,q_auto:eco,dpr_2\/rockcms\/2024-11\/241111-jackson-bribery-investigation-wm-310p-40d227.jpg 2x, https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-560w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2024-11\/241111-jackson-bribery-investigation-wm-310p-40d227.jpg 1x\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 320px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_avif,q_auto:eco,dpr_2\/rockcms\/2024-11\/241111-jackson-bribery-investigation-wm-310p-40d227.jpg 2x, https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2024-11\/241111-jackson-bribery-investigation-wm-310p-40d227.jpg 1x\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2024-11\/241111-jackson-bribery-investigation-wm-310p-40d227.jpg\" alt=\"A federal indictment includes a picture of Hinds District Attorney Jody Owens holding what appears to be cash.\" height=\"1775\" width=\"2500\"\/><\/picture><figcaption class=\"caption styles_caption__Pe5JC\" data-testid=\"caption\"><span class=\"caption__container\" data-testid=\"caption__container\">A federal indictment includes a picture of Hinds District Attorney Jody Owens holding what appears to be cash.<\/span><span class=\"caption__source\" data-testid=\"caption__source\">U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"\">Owens boasted about his power to sway things, saying, \u201cEverybody needs something. Every file comes to us. Everybody needs something fixed,\u201d according to the indictment.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Roughly a month later, in a meeting at the DA\u2019s office in a room he had dubbed the \u201cwar room,\u201d Owens gave the developers a heads-up that the city of Jackson would be putting out another request to solicit developers for a downtown development project that would include a hotel near the city\u2019s convention center, according to the indictment.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">The request for proposals issued in July failed to secure any approved projects.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">At that point, Owens and the developers\u2019 alleged efforts to secure support for the proposal seemed to pick up steam, and Banks, then the City Council president, was brought into the alleged scheme, according to the indictment.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Banks is alleged to have told a developer at a meeting with Owens on Jan. 11 that \u201cfifty grand as soon as possible would help\u201d during a discussion about his support for their project, according to the indictment. The next month, Banks accepted $10,000 in cash from Owens, it alleges.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"styles_inlineImage__yAWZ0 styles_medium__OMa6x\"><picture class=\"styles_image__1qciH\" data-testid=\"picture\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1000px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-560w,f_avif,q_auto:eco,dpr_2\/rockcms\/2024-11\/241111-councilman-aaron-banks-jackson-bribery-investigation-wm-245p-002db9.jpg 2x, https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-560w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2024-11\/241111-councilman-aaron-banks-jackson-bribery-investigation-wm-245p-002db9.jpg 1x\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 320px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_avif,q_auto:eco,dpr_2\/rockcms\/2024-11\/241111-councilman-aaron-banks-jackson-bribery-investigation-wm-245p-002db9.jpg 2x, https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2024-11\/241111-councilman-aaron-banks-jackson-bribery-investigation-wm-245p-002db9.jpg 1x\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2024-11\/241111-councilman-aaron-banks-jackson-bribery-investigation-wm-245p-002db9.jpg\" alt=\"Councilman Aaron Banks\" height=\"1617\" width=\"2500\"\/><\/picture><figcaption class=\"caption styles_caption__Pe5JC\" data-testid=\"caption\"><span class=\"caption__container\" data-testid=\"caption__container\">Aaron Banks is the second Jackson City Council member to be charged in the federal bribery case.<\/span><span class=\"caption__source\" data-testid=\"caption__source\">Barbara Gauntt \/ Clarion Ledger \/ USA Today via Imagn<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"\">Reached by phone Monday, Banks, who is charged with two felony counts, said, \u201cI have nothing to say.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">In February, Owens arranged a dinner to introduce Lumumba, the mayor, to the developers. The indictment alleges that during introductions, Owens said, \u201cI\u2019ve done background checks. They\u2019re not FBI by the way,\u201d and that he went on to explain their development interest to the mayor.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">After the dinner, Owens promised the developers he would get them three more votes, in addition to securing Banks and Lumumba, according to the indictment. He went into detail about how to funnel funds through campaign finance accounts and explained how to first \u201cclean\u201d the money, the indictment said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">\u201cI don\u2019t give a sh-t where the money comes from. It can come from blood diamonds in Africa, I don\u2019t give a f&#8212;&#8212; sh-t,\u201d the indictment quotes Owens as saying. Owens said his job was to \u201cget this deal done.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">\u201cWe can take dope boy money, I don\u2019t give a sh-t. But I need to clean it and spread it,\u201d Owens said, according to the indictment.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">At least one other dinner among Owens, the developers and a council member would occur, according to court records. In late March, developers gave a bag of $3,000 in cash to Lee, then a member of the City Council, according to the indictment. The next day, she would spend more than $6,000 on luxury goods using one of the agent\u2019s credit cards, according to the indictment.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"styles_inlineImage__yAWZ0 styles_medium__OMa6x\"><picture class=\"styles_image__1qciH\" data-testid=\"picture\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1000px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-560w,f_avif,q_auto:eco,dpr_2\/rockcms\/2024-11\/241111-councilwoman-angelique-lee-jackson-bribery-investigation-wm-245p-b8f945.jpg 2x, https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-560w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2024-11\/241111-councilwoman-angelique-lee-jackson-bribery-investigation-wm-245p-b8f945.jpg 1x\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 320px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_avif,q_auto:eco,dpr_2\/rockcms\/2024-11\/241111-councilwoman-angelique-lee-jackson-bribery-investigation-wm-245p-b8f945.jpg 2x, https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2024-11\/241111-councilwoman-angelique-lee-jackson-bribery-investigation-wm-245p-b8f945.jpg 1x\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2024-11\/241111-councilwoman-angelique-lee-jackson-bribery-investigation-wm-245p-b8f945.jpg\" alt=\"Angelique Lee\" height=\"1667\" width=\"2500\"\/><\/picture><figcaption class=\"caption styles_caption__Pe5JC\" data-testid=\"caption\"><span class=\"caption__container\" data-testid=\"caption__container\">Angelique Lee, a former City Council member, resigned and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery.<\/span><span class=\"caption__source\" data-testid=\"caption__source\">Rogelio V. Solis \/ AP<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"\">In August, Lee pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery. She has not yet been sentenced. Lee\u2019s attorney did not respond to a request for comment, and a call to a number listed for Lee was not returned.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Owens worked with the developers to concoct a plan by which he, Smith and Lumumba would travel to Florida for another meeting on the yacht, where Lumumba would receive $50,000, according to the indictment. They arranged for the money to be paid in five $10,000 \u201ccampaign contribution\u201d checks in exchange for Lumumba\u2019s moving back the deadline for the development proposals, according to the indictment. The developers agreed to pay him another $50,000 later, the indictment said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">\u00a0During the trip, Lumumba was recorded calling a city employee with instructions to change the deadline for proposals, according to the indictment.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">A spokesperson for Lumumba declined to comment.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">The same day, according to the indictment, Owens, Lumumba and the agents went to a venue identified only as a \u201cclub\u201d in court documents. Owens is alleged to have made $5,000 in cash available for Lumumba to spend there, while Lumumba is alleged to have instructed one of the developers \u201cto pay cash to employees of the club for Lumumba\u2019s benefit,\u201d according to court papers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">In late May, the FBI searched Owens\u2019 office at the Hinds County District Attorney\u2019s Office under a warrant. During the raid, they found that a book titled \u201cThe Constitution of The United States\u201d was actually a lockbox, according to the indictment. Inside, officials said, there was $20,000 in cash. Almost half of it was traced via serial numbers to funds the developers had given Owens, according to the indictment.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"styles_inlineImage__yAWZ0 styles_medium__OMa6x\"><picture class=\"styles_image__1qciH\" data-testid=\"picture\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1000px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-560w,f_avif,q_auto:eco,dpr_2\/rockcms\/2024-11\/241111-jackson-bribery-investigation-wm-300p-6bd3bf.jpg 2x, https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-560w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2024-11\/241111-jackson-bribery-investigation-wm-300p-6bd3bf.jpg 1x\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 320px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_avif,q_auto:eco,dpr_2\/rockcms\/2024-11\/241111-jackson-bribery-investigation-wm-300p-6bd3bf.jpg 2x, https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2024-11\/241111-jackson-bribery-investigation-wm-300p-6bd3bf.jpg 1x\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2024-11\/241111-jackson-bribery-investigation-wm-300p-6bd3bf.jpg\" alt=\"A federal indictment alleges that cash was found in a lockbox disguised as a book during a search of Owens' office.\" height=\"1668\" width=\"2500\"\/><\/picture><figcaption class=\"caption styles_caption__Pe5JC\" data-testid=\"caption\"><span class=\"caption__container\" data-testid=\"caption__container\">A federal indictment alleges that cash was found in a lockbox disguised as a book during a search of Owens&#8217; office.<\/span><span class=\"caption__source\" data-testid=\"caption__source\">U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"\">The indictment alleges that Owens had told developers earlier that he kept \u201cdope money and drug money and more than a million dollars\u201d in the office safe to avoid the risk of keeping it in his home.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Owens said in a statement that he was fully cooperating with their efforts.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">At least three City Council members have confirmed to NBC News that Owens invited them to meetings with developers in January and late February.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">On the day Owens and the developers first met with Banks, they had lunch with another council member, Hartley, Hartley said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Hartley said in an interview that he declined their offer to pay for his meal at Walker\u2019s Drive-In, a restaurant often frequented by Jackson\u2019s business class and well-known for seafood and other Southern fare. As with Lindsay, the details of what they hoped to do in Jackson seemed scarce to him.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Hartley said Owens had said the developers had an interest in learning about his ward. The meeting itself, though, was lackluster, he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Ashby Foote, the council\u2019s sole Republican, told NBC News he joined the group for lunch at the Capital Club on Feb. 29.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"styles_inlineImage__yAWZ0 styles_medium__OMa6x\"><picture class=\"styles_image__1qciH\" data-testid=\"picture\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1000px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-560w,f_avif,q_auto:eco,dpr_2\/rockcms\/2024-11\/241111-councilman-ashby-foote-jackson-bribery-investigation-wm-247p-067ec6.jpg 2x, https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-560w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2024-11\/241111-councilman-ashby-foote-jackson-bribery-investigation-wm-247p-067ec6.jpg 1x\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 320px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_avif,q_auto:eco,dpr_2\/rockcms\/2024-11\/241111-councilman-ashby-foote-jackson-bribery-investigation-wm-247p-067ec6.jpg 2x, https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2024-11\/241111-councilman-ashby-foote-jackson-bribery-investigation-wm-247p-067ec6.jpg 1x\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2024-11\/241111-councilman-ashby-foote-jackson-bribery-investigation-wm-247p-067ec6.jpg\" alt=\"Ashby Foote\" height=\"1584\" width=\"2500\"\/><\/picture><figcaption class=\"caption styles_caption__Pe5JC\" data-testid=\"caption\"><span class=\"caption__container\" data-testid=\"caption__container\">City Council member Ashby Foote confirmed he also met with Owens and developers.<\/span><span class=\"caption__source\" data-testid=\"caption__source\">Hannah Mattix \/ Clarion Ledger \/ USA Today<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"\">The restaurant\u2019s location, the 19th floor of the downtown Capital Towers building, was a prime one. Its windows overlooked the property developers had their eye on.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Foote said that there was no formal presentation during the meal and that the businessmen talked \u201cin generalities.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">But one thing stood out.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">\u201cThey said, \u2018How does Jackson work?\u2019 I think, or something to that effect, or \u2018How do things get done in Jackson?\u2019 or something to that effect,\u201d Foote said. \u201cI didn\u2019t really answer the question.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">He initially looked at the meeting as \u201ca nothing burger.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Normally, you might at least get a business card, Foote said. He was frustrated. He did not catch their names, but he did write down the name of their group, the Facilities Solutions Team.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">\u201cIt never occurred in my wildest dreams they were undercover for the FBI,\u201d Foote said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Now, the City Council is grappling with the aftermath of the latest developments, alongside routine matters of governance.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">\u201cAfter the parade is gone,\u201d Hartley said, \u201cwe still have to clean up the mess.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"endmark\">The first council meeting since the indictments is scheduled for Tuesday.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1660802\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/us-news\/fbi-ensnared-jackson-leaders-bribery-investigation-rcna179660\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>JACKSON, Miss. \u2014 For out-of-state developers hoping to bring a win to Mississippi\u2019s capital, their pitch was flat.\u00a0 The city had long been searching for someone to develop part of &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=125766\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8629],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-125766","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-u-s","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/125766","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=125766"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/125766\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=125766"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=125766"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=125766"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}