I'm sure Jr. took his cues from his father.
WASHINGTON (CBS) — An emotional former Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. pleaded guilty in federal court in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday to misusing $750,000 in campaign funds.
CBS 2 Chief Correspondent Jay Levine reports Jackson was subdued but spoke in a clear voice, telling U.S. District Judge Robert Wilkins that he accepts responsibility for his actions. He formally pleaded guilty to a felony count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, mail fraud and false statements.
He is accused of spending $750,000 in campaign money on a personal slush fund. Those purchases included a $43,000 gold-plated Rolex watch, and memorabilia involving pop star Michael Jackson, civil rights leaders Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, and martial artist Bruce Lee.
During his plea hearing, Jackson wiped his eyes several times, trying to hold back tears and smile.
“I am guilty, your honor,” Jackson said, surrounded by family members, including his parents, who sat in the front row during the hearing.
Jackson’s sentencing hearing will be on June 28.
Prosecutors suggested a sentencing range of 46 to 57 months in prison, but the judge said he is not bound by the sentencing guidelines.
“Tell the folks back home I’m sorry I let everybody down,” Jackson told reporters after the hearing.
During court, the judge asked him if he understood waiving of his rights. He said yes. The former congressman sobbed in court and wiped his eyes.
Jackson’s defense team would not discuss the details of the plea deal after the hearing, but defense attorney Reid Weingarten said, “Jesse needed to come to terms with his misconduct.”
“The process that begins now is explaining that conduct to the audience that counts, and that’s obviously the sentencing judge,” Weingarten added.
He also said there’s reason for optimism.
“A man that talented, a man that devoted to public service, a man who has done so much for so many has another day. There will be another chapter in Jesse Jackson’s life, and it will be a chapter that will bring joy to the people who care about him,” he said.
Weingarten said he expected the judge would be fair in sentencing.
He said Jackson’s health problems would also be a factor in sentencing. Jackson took an extended leave of absence from Congress last year before resigning in November. He was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and has been undergoing extensive treatment since last summer.
“Jesse has serious health issues,” Weingarten said. “We’re going to talk about them extensively with the court, and those health issues are directly related to his present predicament. That’s not an excuse, that’s just a fact.”
He also said it appears Jackson’s condition has begun to improve.
“Jesse’s turned the corner there as well, and I think there’s reason for optimism here too. Jesse’s gotten great treatment, he has great doctors, and I think he’s gotten his arms around his problem. Time will tell, but we are optimistic,”
Jackson’s wife, former Ald. Sandi Jackson, is expected to plead guilty to a tax fraud charge at a hearing on Wednesday afternoon. She is accused filing six years of false federal income tax returns. She faces no more than three years in prison.
CBS 2’s legal analysts expect Sandi Jackson will serve her time first, a shorter sentence than her husband, possibly even as little as probation.
Having Sandi serve her sentence first would allow Jesse Jr. to care for their two children until it’s his turn behind bars.
Before Jackson Jr.’s hearing, Judge Wilkins offered to step down from the case, due to past connections to the former congressman’s father, Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr.
Court papers filed Wednesday disclosed Wilkins’ support for Rev. Jackson’s presidential campaign in 1988. Wilkins wrote that he has no bias or personal interest in the case, but was willing to step aside if attorneys requested.
“In 1988, while a law student, Judge Wilkins served as a co-chair of Harvard Law School students supporting the presidential campaign of Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr., and on October 24, 1988, Judge Wilkins introduced Rev. Jackson when he came to speak at a campus event supporting the presidential candidacy of Governor Michael Dukakis. On March 21, 1999, while an attorney, Judge Wilkins appeared as a guest on a show hosted by Rev. Jackson on the CNN network entitled ‘Both Sides with Jesse Jackson’ to discuss a civil rights lawsuit in which Judge Wilkins was a plaintiff. Judge Wilkins believes that he has spoken to Rev. Jackson only on these two occasions, and he does not believe that he has ever met or spoken to the two defendants in these cases.”
However, prosecutors and defense attorneys did not object to keeping Wilkins as the judge for the case, and signed waivers indicating it wasn’t necessary for Wilkins to step down from the case.
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