Committee formed to help fund Lumumba’s legal bills in federal case
JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - Documents obtained by WLBT show it could cost as much as $750,000 to defend Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba against multiple federal corruption charges.
And a committee has been formed to help raise those funds.
Last weekend, Lumumba was in the Motor City at a fundraising event sponsored by the Committee to Defend Chokwe Antar Lumumba.
According to documents obtained by WLBT, the group has “arrived at a potential cost of $750,000 to provide the high-quality defense necessary to maximize the chances of obtaining an acquittal.”
Committee to Defend by aswarren77 on Scribd
Lumumba is charged with five counts for his alleged role in a bribery scheme designed to bring a convention center hotel to the capital city.
An October 2024 indictment states that Lumumba received $50,000 in bribes disguised as campaign contributions to direct Planning and Development Director Jhai Keeton to change the due date for a request for qualifications to benefit FBI informants posing as out-of-state developers.
The mayor also was flown to Florida at the developers’ expense and racked up thousands of dollars in expenses at a Miami strip club, which also were paid for by developers.
Documents from the committee to defend the mayor paint the indictment as a way to bolster a decade-long effort by the state to undermine the mayor, calling it a “stunning waste of taxpayer dollars.”
“We cannot allow the federal government and the MAGA Mississippi state government to destroy the progressive, people-oriented work led by Mayor Lumumba,” the flier stated. “Every contribution, no matter the amount, will make a meaningful difference.”
In an interview with the Urban Information Network at the event, the mayor said he was “in a battle not only for my reputation, a battle for my life, but a battle more importantly for the people of Jackson, where there’s an effort to come at me with legal charges, erroneous legal charges.”
Charges include conspiracy, federal program bribery, use of an interstate facility in aid of racketeering, honest services wire fraud, and money laundering. If convicted, he faces up to 75 years in prison and fines of up to $1.5 million.
“Not only am I grateful for all the people in Jackson who keep me lifted and let me know they’re supporting me, but to know that my Detroit family would be here and come out strong and have a room packed, that not only speaks to what we’re trying to build in Jackson but it speaks to the long history of the work of my parents. That’s something I’m very proud of.”
[READ: ‘Not something that is foreign territory to me’: Lumumba speaks out weeks following indictment]
Lumumba is the son of the late Mayor Chokwe Lumumba and the late Nubia Lumumba, lifelong community activists, according to the city’s website. The elder Lumumba served as a Jackson city councilman and as mayor, passing away during his first term in office.
The flier states that funds will be used in “securing high-quality local and nationally recognized criminal defense attorneys” to represent the mayor.
Donations will also go toward “obtaining legal research and paralegal support,” “obtaining experts,” and “communication fees, including crisis management and other media fees.”
Attorneys listed on the committee flier include Thomas Bellinder, Michael Sterling, Linda Ashford, Gerald Evelyn, and Jeffrey Edison. Sterling and Ashford are not listed on the docket for the mayor’s case.
Lumumba’s legal team at a glance:
- Thomas Bellinder - Founder and managing partner of Bellinder Law Firm; Belhaven University and Mississippi College graduate; mentored by Dennis Sweet III; Sub-specialty areas include civil rights, workers compensation, sports and entertainment law, and other areas (Source: Bellinder Law Firm website)
- Michael Sterling - Former assistant U.S. Attorney and former senior advisor to the mayor of Atlanta; currently with the Cochran Firm; practice areas include criminal law, discrimination, and civil rights (Source: The Cochran Firm website)
- Linda Ashford - Chair of the Criminal Law Section Council of the Michigan State Bar; admitted to practice in the U.S. Supreme Court; 46 years of experience (Source: Committee to Defend Chokwe Antar Lumumba)
- Gerald Evelyn - Founding faculty member of Detroit/Wayne County Criminal Advocacy Program; served alongside the late Chokwe Lumumba representing activists in Battle Creek, Michigan; more than 40 years of experience (Source: Committee to Defend Chokwe Antar Lumumba)
- Jeffrey Edison - Former law partner with the late Chokwe Lumumba; served on National Conference of Black Lawyers team that represented the late Lumumba in efforts to disbar him (Source: Committee to Defend Chokwe Antar Lumumba)
Winston James Thompson III, an attorney previously brought on to represent the mayor, filed a motion to withdraw from the case on February 3. That motion was granted the following day.
Thompson Withdraws by Anthony Warren on Scribd
The memo states donations can be made through the Community Aid and Development Corporation, a Decatur, Georgia-based nonprofit.
According to the corporation’s website, the group’s mission is “to provide assistance and support to underserved members of the community through social and educational development. This is done by the use of forums, tutorial, recreational, and cultural programs.”
In Jackson, the group is involved in “the continued building of the People’s Assemblies, supporting the emergence of Jackson People’s Schools, [and] strategy and data work with the Violence Interrupters program of the People’s Advocacy Institute.”
The People’s Advocacy Institute was co-founded by Rukia Lumumba, PAI’s executive director and the mayor’s sister.
Mayor Lumumba declined to comment for this story.
See our coverage of the Jackson Bribery Scheme here.
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