(RepublicanJournal.org) – FBI agents have raided the offices of a Mississippi district attorney. Several premises linked to Jody Owens were searched –- but the Bureau isn’t saying why. All they would tell journalists is that they were executing a federal search warrant.
On May 22, the FBI raided several locations in Jackson, Mississippi. Their targets included Owens’s office at the Hinds County Courthouse and at least three local businesses he owns — the Downtown Cigar Company, Downtown Pizza, and Daquiri.
An FBI spokesman told journalists the agency had a federal search warrant covering all the locations they turned over. However, he said the affidavit the warrant was issued on is sealed, so he couldn’t reveal any details. He also insisted there was no danger to public safety.
After the raids, staff in the county DA’s office said they were cooperating fully with the FBI investigation. Chief of staff Samantha Grant said the office was “fully functioning” and added that she wouldn’t be making a further statement at that time.
Owens is a Democrat. Before becoming DA, he worked for the Mississippi branch of the liberal Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) as chief policy counsel and managing attorney. He was elected to the position in 2019 and re-elected in 2023.
So far, the high point of Owens’ career was when he prosecuted several state officials, including senior human services staff, for allegedly running a scam aimed at collecting millions of dollars in fraudulent Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) claims. Most of those arrested worked at the Mississippi Department of Human Services, the Mississippi Community Education Center (MCEC), or New Learning, Inc.
While Owens worked for the SPLC, he was accused of sexually harassing female colleagues, so it’s possible the searches were linked to those allegations. However, with no details released by the FBI, that possibility can’t be confirmed.
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