Jesse Jr., Sandi Jackson Sentenced to 30 Months and One Year, Respectively
Photo By: AP
Former Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr., 48, was sentenced Aug. 14 to 30 months in prison for illegally spending $750,000 of his re-election campaign money on personal items and expenses and filing misleading reports to conceal seven years of the illegal activities, according to a U.S. Department of Justice press release on the matter.
“Jesse Jackson Jr.’s journey from the halls of Congress to federal prison is a tragedy of his own making,” said U.S. Attorney Ronald Machen.
“Jackson’s political potential was unlimited, but he instead chose to treat his campaign account as a personal slush fund, stealing from the people who believed in him so he could live extravagantly. He squandered his great capacity for public service through outright theft. The prison sentence imposed today should serve as a wake-up call to other public officials who believe there are no consequences for betraying the public trust.”
Jesse’s wife, former Chicago 7th Ward Ald., Sandi Jackson, 49, was sentenced to one year for filing false tax returns as part of the scheme.
The couple, who reportedly asked to go away at different times for the sake of their young children, ages 9 and 13, was permitted by the judge to stagger their prison sentences, with Sandi to serve her sentence following Jesse’s release.
Sentenced in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, the Jacksons, according to government evidence, carried out the fraud scheme from in or about Aug. 2005 until in or about April 2012.
“In a betrayal of his oath of office and his duty to the citizens he represented, Mr. Jackson violated the integrity of our government and disrespected those he served,” said Valerie Parlave, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office. “Mr. Jackson and his wife selfishly supported themselves with campaign funds and went to great lengths to hide their illegal activity, but they can hide no more as they pay the price with today’s sentences. Public corruption will not be tolerated in our community – no matter the position or names of the individuals involved.”
Government evidence showed money was channeled from Jesse’s Campaign funds to the Jacksons in the following ways:
DIRECT EXPENDITURES: Jackson made $57,792 in direct expenditures from the Campaign’s bank account from Jan. 2006 through July 2011. In July 2007, for example, he withdrew $43,350 in Campaign funds to purchase an official check made payable to a jeweler for a men’s gold-plated Rolex watch. In addition, he used $14,442 in Campaign funds to pay down balances on (personal) credit cards maintained by the Jacksons.
CREDIT CARD EXPENDITURES: The Campaign maintained a credit card account, “Jackson for Congress,” from at least Aug. 2005 through August 2012. Individual credit card members on this account included Jackson and his wife. During this period, the Jacksons used the credit cards to purchase merchandise and services that were personal in nature, including high-end electronic items; a washer and dryer, a range and refrigerator; collector’s items; clothing, food and supplies; movie tickets; health club dues; personal travel, including a holistic retreat, and personal dining expenses. Campaign funds were used to pay $582,772 of personal purchases.
OTHER EXPENDITURES: In March 2006, Jackson directed that a $36,000 check from the Campaign be issued to his wife’s business for billboard expenses. Sandra Stevens Jackson transferred this money from the business account to a personal account. Jackson and his wife, who controlled the personal account, used nearly all of the money that purportedly was for billboard expenses to pay down personal debts.
Additionally, Jackson paid a congressional staffer with funds from the campaign account so that the staffer could pay expenses on Jackson’s behalf, or, in some instances, give cash to Jackson. The Campaign issued about $76,150 in checks to the staffer from about Oct. 2008 until about March 2012, even though the staffer actually was entitled to only about $11,409 for her work. The staffer then expended nearly all of the remaining $64,741 for the personal benefit of Jackson and his wife. For example, the staffer used checks from the Campaign to pay for $26,347 worth of work performed on the Jacksons’ home.
Elected to Congress in 1995, Jesse Jr. served until Nov. 2012 as the representative for the 2nd Congressional District of Illinois. Sandi served as the 7th Ward alderman from May 2007 until Jan. 2013. Additionally, she had various roles in her husband’s re-election campaigns, starting in Jan. 2005, working at different points as treasurer, consultant, and campaign manager.
Jesse Jackson Sr. was quoted in a recent news story saying, “I was proud of Jesse Jr. as he stood before the judge and accepted full responsibility for his actions. He was remorseful. He is recovering, (referring to Jesse Jr.’s bipolar condition). He has highs and lows. I have a greater appreciation for it now. He turned to us as a family and said, ‘I let you down and for that I apologize.’ I think we let him down and I was apologetic to him.”
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