Post by Oscar Knight on Oct 23, 2013 14:05:23 GMT -6
Jesse Jackson Jr. and Wife Sentenced to Jail Time
“There may be blurred lines for congressmen to follow when their lives are political,” the judge said. “This case did not come near those areas.
“This was a knowing, organized joint misconduct that was repeated and then covered up over a series of years,” said the judge, who likened Jackson’s campaign fund to a “personal piggybank.”
Sandi Jackson was sentenced to a year in prison for filing false tax returns in connection with the misuse of her husband’s campaign funds, a crime she pleaded guilty to in February.
At that time, the former lawmaker pleaded guilty to stealing more than $750,000 from his campaign and illegally spending the money on a wide array of purchases, including a $43,000 Rolex watch, more than $28,000 worth of Michael Jackson memorabilia, more than $10,000 in Bruce Lee memorabilia and more than $5,000 in fur coats and capes.
On Wednesday, the couple pleaded with the court not to send Sandi Jackson to prison, arguing that the damage of sending both parents to jail would be irreparable for their 13-year-old daughter and 9-year-old son.
But the prosecutor maintained that Sandi Jackson, as her husband’s campaign manager, was not an innocent party; the prosecutor said Sandi Jackson used a campaign credit card to pay for salons, spa treatments, a Disney vacation, even a sub-zero fridge for the Jackson’s Chicago home — more than $171,000 in personal expenses.
But Sandi Jackson asked the judge for compassion.
“This was a knowing, organized joint misconduct that was repeated and then covered up over a series of years,” said the judge, who likened Jackson’s campaign fund to a “personal piggybank.”
Sandi Jackson was sentenced to a year in prison for filing false tax returns in connection with the misuse of her husband’s campaign funds, a crime she pleaded guilty to in February.
At that time, the former lawmaker pleaded guilty to stealing more than $750,000 from his campaign and illegally spending the money on a wide array of purchases, including a $43,000 Rolex watch, more than $28,000 worth of Michael Jackson memorabilia, more than $10,000 in Bruce Lee memorabilia and more than $5,000 in fur coats and capes.
On Wednesday, the couple pleaded with the court not to send Sandi Jackson to prison, arguing that the damage of sending both parents to jail would be irreparable for their 13-year-old daughter and 9-year-old son.
But the prosecutor maintained that Sandi Jackson, as her husband’s campaign manager, was not an innocent party; the prosecutor said Sandi Jackson used a campaign credit card to pay for salons, spa treatments, a Disney vacation, even a sub-zero fridge for the Jackson’s Chicago home — more than $171,000 in personal expenses.
But Sandi Jackson asked the judge for compassion.
........If this case had been tried in Clayton County, both would probably walked free with a Not Guilty Verdict