U.S. prosecutors released audio of the Oct. 17 hearing of Sherik Marve’ Smith, providing more details on how he and another conspirator facilitated bribes to two unnamed City of Jackson elected officials.
Smith pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the United States, more specifically conspiracy to commit bribery, last week at the Thad Cochran United States Courthouse. During the hearing, U.S. Attorney Kimberly Purdie recounted the events that led to Smith’s arrest.
It started on Nov. 8, 2023, when Smith, “Unindicted Co-conspirator A” and a witness, known as “Witness 1,” met with and agreed to help two real estate developers from Nashville who were aiming to build a downtown development in Jackson. The fee Smith and the co-conspirator demanded for their help was $100,000 each.
Unbeknownst to Smith and his co-conspirator, the two Nashville developers were actually undercover FBI agents. The meeting would set in motion the events leading to the City of Jackson’s bribery scandal that has already taken down one member of the Jackson City Council.