Charges filed against Jesse Jackson Jr., wife
WASHINGTON — Federal prosecutors in Washington brought charges against Jesse Jackson Jr. and his wife, Sandi, on Friday, alleging that the former congressman had misused $750,000 in campaign funds and that she understated their income on tax returns for six years.
Attorneys for Sandi Jackson issued a statement saying she had signed a plea deal with prosecutors and would plead guilty to tax fraud. Former Rep. Jackson was charged in a criminal information, which typically signals a guilty plea.
Jackson, 47, a Democrat from Chicago, was charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, mail fraud and making false statements. He faces up to five years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000 and other penalties.
His wife was charged with one count of filing false tax returns. She faces up to three years in prison, a fine of up to $100,000 and other penalties.
Jackson is accused of diverting $750,000 in campaign funds for personal use.
Federal authorities allege that Jackson used campaign funds to purchase a $43,350 men’s gold-plated Rolex watch, $5,150 worth of fur capes and parkas and $9,588 in children’s furniture. The purchases were made between 2007 and 2009, according to the criminal information, which authorities noted is not evidence of guilt.
Other expenditures listed by prosecutors included $10,105 on Bruce Lee memorabilia, $11,130 on Martin Luther King Jr. memorabilia and $22,700 on Michael Jackson items, including $4,600 for a “Michael Jackson fedora.”
The government also alleged that Jackson had made false statements to the House of Representatives because he did not report approximately $28,500 in loans and gifts he had received.
Sandi Jackson is accused of filing incorrect joint tax returns with her husband for the years 2006 through 2011 and reporting income “substantially less than the amount of income she and her husband received in each of the calendar years,” with substantial additional tax due.
Jackson stepped down from the House of Representatives on Nov. 21, citing poor health and a federal investigation into his activities. In a statement then, he said he was doing his best to cooperate with federal investigators and to accept responsibility for his mistakes.
“Over the course of my life I have come to realize that none of us are immune from our share of shortcomings and human frailties,” Jackson said in a statement Friday. “Still I offer no excuses for my conduct and I fully accept my responsibility for the improper decisions and mistakes I have made. To that end I want to offer my sincerest apologies to my family, my friends and all of my supporters for my errors in judgment, and while my journey is not yet complete, it is my hope that I am remembered for the things that I did right.”
Sandi Jackson’s attorneys released a statement saying she “has accepted responsibility for her conduct, is deeply sorry for her actions, and looks forward to putting this matter behind her and her family. She is thankful for the support of her family and friends dur- ing this very difficult time.”
Jackson’s father, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, said he wanted to attend President Obama’s speech Friday at Hyde Park Academy in Chicago, but traveled to Washington instead to be with family members while they waited for the federal charges to come down.
“This has been a difficult and painful ordeal for our family,” the civil rights leader said. He said he would “leave it up to the courts system” to determine his son’s fate, and: “We express our love for him as a family.”
Jesse Jackson Jr.’s political fortunes began to sink late in 2008, when he sought unsuccessfully to have Democratic Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich appoint him to the Senate seat that came open when Obama was elected president.
Jackson or an emissary reportedly offered to raise up to $6 million in campaign cash for Blagojevich, who is in federal prison for crimes including trying to sell the Senate seat. Jackson was never charged in the case, which became the subject of an ethics inquiry in the House.
Last June, Jackson began a leave of absence for what originally was called exhaustion but later emerged as bipolar disorder. He spent months in treatment and won reelection Nov. 6 despite never returning to service in the House or staging a single campaign appearance.
A campaign to replace him is being conducted in Illinois’ 2nd Congressional District, which includes parts of Chicago’s South Side and southern suburbs.
Jackson was first elected to Congress in 1995. Sandi Jackson was on the Chicago Board of Aldermen until she resigned last month. They have two children.