Politico is reporting that the Federal prosecutors are seeking a four-year prison sentence for former Illinois Democratic Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., who has pleaded guilty to illegally diverting hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign funds to personal use.
Under the Justice Department recommendations, Jackson would have to forfeit the $750,000 he stole from his campaign, and pay back another $750,000 to his reelection committee. Prosecutors are asking that someone not related to Jackson be appointed to run the campaign, which would then be “wound down.”
Jackson, the son of well-known civil rights advocate Rev. Jesse Jackson, is scheduled to be sentenced early next month.
In a break for Jackson and his wife — former Chicago Alderman Sandi Jackson, who also pleaded guilty in the case — prosecutors have requested that their prison sentences be staggered so that both aren’t in prison at the same time. Sandi Jackson faces up to 18 months in federal prison as part of the couple’s illegal scheme. The couple have two young children.
Once a rising star in Democratic politics, the 48-year-old Jackson pleaded guilty in February to using more than $750,000 from his campaign to cover a stunning range of personal expenses in thousands of transactions, including including home renovations, furniture, school tuition, groceries, a $43,000 Rolex watch, fur coats and memorabilia associated with Michael Jackson, Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X and Bruce Lee.
