The vice president of the Jackson City Council pleaded guilty Wednesday, hours after resigning from office, to a federal charge of bribery related to a proposed downtown development.
Angelique Lee pleaded guilty to all counts listed in the indictment.
Lee, who represented District 2 in northwest Jackson, admitted to participating in a conspiracy to commit bribery by accepting over $5,000 in “cash, deposits and other gifts” from two federal agents who posed as Nashville, Tennessee, real estate developers and tried to influence and reward her for her vote. She accepted those bribes from the undercover agents through an “unindicted co-conspirator,” court documents show. On two occasions, they gave her a credit card to go shopping. “Don’t overdo it, but have a damn good time,” the fake real estate developer told her, according to testimony at Wednesday’s hearing.
In March, the Facility Solutions Team was one of three companies bidding to build a 335-room hotel across from the Jackson Convention Complex. The hotel would include an open entertainment area and a parking garage.
Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens II is listed as the registered agent for Facility Solutions Team, a limited liability company.
The business address, Downtown Cigar Company, which Owens owns, was raided by the FBI on May 22, as was Owens’ office in the Hinds County Courthouse.
Lee’s lawyer, Aafram Sellers, acknowledged that the charges against his client were related to the hotel project.
Owens referred questions about Wednesday’s developments to his attorney, Rob McDuff. McDuff told Mississippi Today in a statement that, to his knowledge, the federal investigation had nothing to do with Owens’ work as district attorney.
McDuff acknowledged that Owens had been involved in real estate deals for the past 15 years, including owning two properties in downtown Jackson.
“Two gentlemen who claimed to be successful large-scale developers with their own development company spoke to him about the possibility of building a convention hotel in Jackson,” McDuff said. “He believed them and after several conversations agreed to help them. It turned out they were FBI agents.”
According to the briefing note, Lee voted in favor of the real estate development project proposed by Nashville developers and supported the closure of a road to support the project.
“The purpose of the conspiracy was also to conceal, disguise and cover up the nature and amount of the valuables Lee received, including the true source and nature of the cash payments,” court documents say.
She received a $10,000 wire transfer from FBI sources to pay off part of Lee’s campaign debt, a $3,000 cash payment on March 27 of this year and $6,000 in credit card charges at a “luxury retail store in the city of Jackson,” according to the indictment. WLBT reported in July that Lee’s wages were garnished to pay off nearly $21,000 in campaign debt.
Lee must forfeit all property and proceeds of the crime, including $13,654 in cash, a pair of Valentino wedge sandals, a Christian Louboutin shopping bag, earrings and other items.
When U.S. District Judge Daniel Jordan III accepted her guilty plea, he listed what she would no longer be allowed to do, including holding office and serving on a jury. Lee’s voice broke as she admitted, “Yes, sir.”
Lee faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Sentencing is scheduled for November 13 at 10 a.m.
Lee, 28, who holds a master’s degree, defeated former Hinds County Sheriff Tyrone Lewis in a special election for the District 2 seat in 2020. She was elected to a full term the following year.
City Council President Virgi Lindsay released a copy of Lee’s resignation letter at a brief press conference on Wednesday: “Circumstances that I am not at liberty to discuss at this time have led to this decision,” she wrote. “I will greatly miss working with each of you and am proud of the work we have done as a collective for the City of Jackson and its citizens.”
Lindsay said the council must meet within the next 10 days to schedule a special election, and the election will be held 30 to 45 days after that.
Owens was first elected district attorney in 2019. At the time of the raids, he posted a statement on Facebook saying his office continues to “work in the best interests of the citizens of Hinds County. That has been and will continue to be our primary focus.”
Owens was responsible for prosecuting individuals involved in a massive fraud case involving the theft or embezzlement of millions of federal welfare funds intended for the poor.
A native of Terry, Owens previously served as general counsel and lead attorney for the Mississippi office of the Southern Poverty Law Center. He attended Howard University School of Law in Washington, D.C., and worked as a legal intern for the late U.S. Senator Thad Cochran on the Senate Budget Committee. Owens is a lieutenant in the Intelligence Corps in the Naval Reserve.
— Article courtesy of Jerry Mitchell and Taylor Vance of Mississippi Today —
