Jesse Jackson Jr. guilty in plea deal

WASHINGTON -- Former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., holding back tears, entered a guilty plea yesterday in federal court to charges that he schemed to spend $750,000 in campaign funds on personal items.

He faces 46 to 57 months in prison and a fine of $10,000 to $100,000, under a plea deal with prosecutors.

A few hours later, his wife, Sandra Jackson, 49, a former Chicago alderman, pleaded guilty to filing false joint federal income tax returns that knowingly understated the couple's income. She faces one to two years in prison and a fine of $3,000 to $40,000.

Before entering the plea to a conspiracy charge, Jesse Jackson told U.S. District Judge Robert L. Wilkins, "I've never been more clear in my life" in his decision to plead guilty. He told the judge, "Sir, for years I lived in my campaign," and used money from the campaign for personal use.

Jackson, 47, used campaign money to buy items including a $43,350 gold-plated men's Rolex watch and show biz memorabilia. A statement from prosecutors cataloged 3,100 items worth $582,773 purchased with campaign credit cards from 2005 to 2012, ranging from lavish dinners and home appliances to toilet paper from Costco.

Jackson entered the courtroom holding hands with his wife. His father, civil rights leader Jesse Jackson, sat in the front row.

U.S. Attorney Ronald Machen called the guilty plea "nothing short of tragic."

"Jesse Jackson Jr. entered public life with unlimited potential, but squandered his bright future by engaging in a self-destructive course of conduct that was staggering in both degree and scope," Machen said.

Jackson had been a Democratic congressman from Illinois from 1995 until he resigned last November. He is scheduled to be sentenced June 28, and his wife on July 1.

Since last June, Jackson has been hospitalized twice at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., for treatment of bipolar disorder and other issues. His attorney said after the court appearance that Jackson's health is "not an excuse" for his actions, "just a fact."

After the hearing was adjourned, he told a Chicago Sun-Times reporter: "Tell everybody back home I'm sorry I let them down, OK?"