The FBI conducted a raid on the offices of Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens, as well as a business owned by him, on Wednesday morning. Federal agents were seen outside of Owens’ DA offices at the Hinds County Courthouse, while another business called Downtown Cigar Company on Pearl Street in Jackson was taped off with crime scene notices. Additionally, Downtown Daiquiri and Pizza was surrounded by federal agents during the raid.
According to a statement from the FBI, officers were executing federal search warrants at multiple locations. The affidavit supporting the search warrants has been sealed by the court, so further details about the raid were not provided by the FBI. The bureau assured that there was no threat to public safety related to the raid.
Representatives from the Attorney General’s office and the Department of Public Safety were unable to provide any additional information about the reasons behind the raid. A request for comment from the U.S. Attorney’s office also did not yield any response.
Jody Owens, the District Attorney, has not made any public comment on the matter. Owens was elected as DA in 2019 and subsequently re-elected in 2023. Before becoming DA, he held positions at the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Mississippi Office and worked for Senator Thad Cochran as a legal intern for the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee. Owens is also an Intelligence Officer in the U.S. Navy Reserves, holding the rank of Lieutenant.