Hear how prosecutors say the bribe went down between Angelique Lee and undercover FBI

On March 27, former Ward 2 Councilwoman Angelique Lee had dinner in Jackson with what she believed to be real estate developers from Nashville — though they were actually undercover FBI agents. It was at this dinner where Lee accepted $3,000 in a cash bribe for her support of a "fictitious" downtown development the agents were pitching her.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Kirkham read some of the dialogue of that March 27 dinner last week during Lee's hearing where she pleaded guilty to a conspiracy to commit bribery charge. Hours before her hearing, Lee resigned from her position on the Jackson City Council.

A recording of the full, 32-minute Aug. 14 hearing was released by the U.S. District Court on Monday.

During the hearing in front of U.S. District Court Judge Daniel Patrick Jordan, Kirkham reads a transcript between Lee and "CHS2," one of the undercover FBI agents attending the dinner.

A portion of the exchange between Lee and the undercover FBI agent at the March 27 dinner, according to prosecutors, is below:

Undercover FBI agent: "So take this, that's yours, thank you. All of that and there's $800 more in there, so that's $3,000.

Lee: "Oh my god."

Undercover FBI agent: "No, no take that."

Lee: "I don't have to report that. Thank you, I'm not reporting this."

Undercover FBI agent: "Huh? Don't report it. I wouldn't. I mean it's cash, why would you report it? Don't report it."

Lee: "Oh my god."

The agent then goes on to thank Lee for her support of the "fictitious" development, to which she responds "you've got more votes coming." Next, the agent offers Lee a credit card so she can go shopping, saying "don't go too crazy, but have a [expletive] great time." Lee thanks the agent.

The next day, March 28, Lee went on to spend approximately $6,000 at a luxury clothing store in Jackson using the agent's credit card.

Lee, 48, attended the March 27 dinner with “Unindicted Co-conspirator A," the unknown person who also funneled $10,000 via electronic transfer to pay off a portion of Lee’s campaign debt on or about Feb. 15, 2024. In July, it was revealed that a portion of Lee's wages as a council member were being garnished to cover nearly $21,000 in campaign expenses from A2Z Printing. A writ of garnishment was issued in October 2023 by a ruling from the Hinds County Circuit Court.

More on Lee's bribery case: What to know about the bribery case that brought down former councilwoman Angelique Lee

Council members and developer meetings: After Angelique Lee bribery case, other Jackson council members reveal meetings with developers

Lee accepted the bribes in exchange for her support of a "fictitious" downtown development project the undercover agents were pitching to her. She also agreed to vote in favor of a road closure in furtherance of the same project, court documents show.

In total, Lee accepted nearly $20,000 in "cash, deposits and other gifts" during meetings with the "developers" in February and March, according to court documents.

At least four other council members also had dinners with developers since the beginning of the year, though none could verify that they were the same "developers" that Lee met with.

What all of the individual meetings described by the council members have in common is that they were arranged by Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens. District Attorney Owens is also "engaged in real estate," which his lawyer said is perfectly legal. Owens and his lawyer, Rob McDuff, declined to answer any questions about the council members' meetings with developers and Owens, only releasing a statement.

Lee currently remains free on a $10,000 appearance bond and is expected to be sentenced on Nov. 13.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Hear how prosecutors say the bribe went down between Angelique Lee and undercover FBI