WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former Illinois congressman Jesse Jackson
Jr., once one of the most promising black politicians in the United
States, was sentenced on Wednesday to 2-1/2 years in prison for misuse
of campaign funds.
Jackson, a former Democratic representative and the son of civil rights leader the Reverend Jesse Jackson Sr., apologized before U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson sentenced him on Wednesday.
Jackson, 48, had pleaded guilty
in February to misusing about $750,000 in campaign funds on luxuries
such as fur capes, celebrity memorabilia, mounted elk heads and a Rolex
watch.
"I misled the American people," Jackson said at the hearing. "I also
want to apologize to my dad and my mother," Jackson said, wiping away
tears. "I take responsibility for my actions and I'm very sorry for what
I have done," he said.
His wife, Sandi, a former Chicago city council member, was sentenced
to one year for falsifying tax returns that failed to report the
campaign money as income. The couple has two children.
The judge ordered Jackson Jr. to report to prison on or after November 1 and for Sandi Jackson to report to prison 30 days after he is released to reduce the impact on the children.
"I stand before you today asking for mercy," Sandi Jackson said,
adding that "my heart breaks every day with the pain it has caused my
babies."
Jackson Jr. asked on Monday that the judge recommend to the Bureau
of Prisons that he serve his time at a federal prison in Montgomery,
Alabama, because it would allow him to be nearer to his wife and
children who live in Washington D.C. The judge said Wednesday she would
make that recommendation.
Jackson Jr. served in Congress from 1995 until he resigned after re-election last year, citing health reasons.
He disappeared from public view in the summer of 2012 and
speculation swirled for weeks about his condition. At first Jackson Jr.
said he was being treated for exhaustion, and his doctor said in July
2012 said he was being treated for a "mood disorder."
He eventually was treated for at least six weeks at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, for bipolar disorder.
Jackson Jr. also was sentenced to three years supervised release and
ordered to perform 500 hours of community service. Sandi Jackson was
given 12 months supervised release and 200 hours of community service.
Prosecutors had recommended a sentence of four years for the ex-congressman and 18 months for Sandi Jackson.
U.S. prosecutors asked in June that two of the Jacksons' houses, in
Washington and Chicago, be subject to forfeiture, along with a bank
account holding $80,000, as part of a $750,000 judgment.
Prosecutors asked in a filing
this month that the forfeiture motion be delayed until October 25 since
Jackson has said he is trying to pay off the judgment.
'HALL OF SHAME' CONTENDER?
The Reverend Jackson told reporters afterward that it has been an "extraordinarily difficult" time for the family.
"Jesse's been very sick," Reverend Jackson
said. "This time a year ago, I really thought we may have lost him. I
think he's strong enough now to accept the challenges put before him by
the judge."
Dozens of letters to the judge
were filed in the court docket before the sentencing. They included ones
from Jackson Sr., ordinary people who had met the congressman only once
and Democratic Representative Marica Fudge, the head of the
Congressional Black Caucus, asking for clemency.
Most letter writers expressed outrage at the couple's behavior and
asked for the maximum punishment as a way to combat persistent
corruption in Illinois and in Chicago's Cook County.
"Cook County is likely the most
corrupt county in the most corrupt state and the self-serving greed
displayed by Mr. Jackson over several years in office qualifies him for
the Illinois Hall of Shame," Cook County resident Kenneth Kunka wrote.
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