Former Ward 2 Councilwoman Angelique Lee pleaded guilty Wednesday in federal court on a charge of conspiracy to commit bribery.
The indictment said Lee accepted cash and luxury items in exchange for a vote on a Jackson real estate deal. The indictment did not specify the real estate deal.
Ten minutes before 1 p.m., Lee entered the Thad Cochran U.S. Courthouse in the Southern District of Mississippi with her lawyer. Judge Lakeysha Greer Issac presided over the hearing.
The conspiracy to commit bribery charge comes with a maximum potential penalty of five years in prison and a fine of $250,000, Greer said. Lee is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 13 at 10 a.m. She could also receive three years of supervised release.
Lee started crying as the charges were read. She waived her right to a grand jury.
Aafram Sellers appeared as Lee's attorney. Lee began a second hearing at 2:36 p.m. That hearing ended around 3 p.m. after she had pled guilty. Lee quietly exited through the federal courthouse back door at 3:42 p.m. into a pickup truck. Media were not able to approach to ask questions.
Speaking in the rain after the hearing, Lee's attorney spoke with reporters about Lee's regret. He said she spoke with neighborhood association presidents of Ward 2 on Tuesday and informed them about her resignation.
"I believe she sought the position (of councilwoman) to help change Jackson," Sellers said. "Good people make bad decisions at times, but I must say that for her to come in and take full responsibility for her actions says a lot about her and her character. This is a tough chapter for her, and hopefully this is the beginning phase of rehabilitating her character for her constituents and the people of Jackson, and she wishes the city continued growth and success.”
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The second hearing was assigned to U.S. District Judge Daniel Patrick Jordan, III.Jordan allowed Lee to remain free on her $10,000 appearance bond.
Lee's conviction comes almost three months after FBI agents raided the office and business of Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens, as well as visiting Jackson City Hall. Owens, Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba, and other members of the council have refused to comment on the matter Wednesday.
According to court documents, Lee was approached by two undercover agents with the FBI posing as real estate developers from Nashville. The agents are referred to as "Individual 1" and "Individual 2."
Further, the court documents state that in February and March 2024, Lee accepted the following payments, which were intended as bribes, in exchange for her future vote in support of a downtown development:
- $10,000 via electronic transfer to pay off a portion of Lee’s campaign debt on or about Feb. 15, 2024.
- $3,000 in cash for Lee’s personal use on March 27, 2024.
- Approximately $6,000 spent on “Individual 2’s” credit card by Lee at a luxury retail store in Jackson on or about March 28, 2024.
Some of the payments were “funneled” to Lee through an unnamed co-conspirator's bank account.
Lee will have to forfeit the items she illegally bought, including one pair of Valentino sandals, a Christian Louboutin tote bag and sandals, one pair of earrings, one Tanya Taylor dress, a pair of sneakers, sweatpants, a t-shirt and $13,654.
In the second hearing, Lee agreed to forfeit the property she purchased.
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The court proceedings came hours after Lee's resignation from the Jackson City Council was announced by Ward 7 Councilwoman Virgi Lindsay at a Wednesday morning press conference. Lee was not present at the press conference, but Lindsay wished her well, and Lumumba released a statement on her resignation.
“Councilwoman Angelique Lee of Ward 2 has provided me and the members of the city council her written resignation effective immediately," Lindsay said. "Under these unfortunate circ*mstances, the Ward 2 seat is now vacant."
Lee, who was first elected in 2020, previously served as last year's Council Vice President.
In February, it came to light that a DUI chargewas expected to be expungedfrom her record after she was arrested in June 2023 by a Madison police officer who followed her after smelling marijuana. Then, in July, it was revealed Lee's wages as a council member were garnished to cover unpaid campaign expenses,according to WLBT.A portion of Lee's paycheck as a council member was used to pay off nearly $21,000 in expenses from A2Z Printing for her campaign. A writ of garnishment was issued in October by a ruling from the Hinds County Circuit Court. It's unknown if Lee has yet paid the full amount that is owed.
According to the city's website before it was taken down, the now former Ward 2 councilwoman is the daughter of former educator, civil rights activist and Freedom Rider Mary Harrison Lee and former educator Gene Lee. The Lees are the owners of The Big Apple Inn on Farish Street. Angelique Lee is a mother of two daughters.
Before serving on the council, Lee worked as a public school teacher in Houston, Texas and Harlem, New York. She relocated back to Jackson and worked as the Deputy Director of the Center for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology at Jackson State University. She also worked at Tougaloo College as the Director of the Family Life Center.
Lindsay said the council is required under state law to meet within the next 10 days to order a special election, which must take place between 30-45 days after the council meets.
Lee issued the following statement at her resignation.
“It is with a profound sadness that I humbly submit this letter of resignation as City Councilwoman for the City of Jackson.
Circ*mstances that I am not at liberty to discuss at the moment, have led to this decision. I will greatly miss working with each of you and I am proud of the work that we have done as a collective body for the City of Jackson and its citizens.
It has been my tremendous honor to serve the constituents of Ward 2 and the people of the City of Jackson as a whole. I have worked hard. Sacrificed much, and have always put the citizens of Jackson first. I am proud of the work we have done, proud of my voting record, and my work in the community. We have advocated for our seniors, our para transit community, and have been boots on the ground in our schools, our senior living facilities, churches and communities.
I would like to personally extend my gratitude to all of my neighborhood association presidents for all of their support and prayers throughout my tenure. I would also like to extend my sincere appreciation to my Chief of Staff, Harold Patton, Ms. Shirley Daniels, and the late LaShaundra Liddell for their commitment to helping me solve the needs and concerns for the constituents in our ward. And lastly, I would like to personally thank all of our clerks, directors, police and firemen that operate behind the scenes and on the front lines for the citizens of Jackson. We could not do it without you.
In closing, my work as councilwoman may have come to an end, but my love of service to my community and this city will continue.
Sincere regards,Angelique Lee."
