Mississippi Supreme Court Disbars Former Hinds County DA Jody Owens

The Mississippi Supreme Court permanently disbarred former Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens after he pleaded guilty to a federal charge of conspiring to commit bribery. Owens had resigned from office earlier in the year, and the Bar had sought his suspension, making the disbarment expected.

Owens faces sentencing on October 15, where he could receive up to five years in prison, a $250,000 fine and probation. The bribery case also implicated former Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba and former City Council member Aaron Banks, who allegedly accepted bribes in exchange for favorable treatment of a downtown convention‑center hotel project that was a front for an FBI sting operation.

The court’s decision ends Owens’s legal career in Mississippi, while the Mississippi Bar has also moved to disbar Lumumba. The scandal exposed a broader pattern of corruption involving private planes, strip clubs and yachts.