U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., D-Ill., and his wife Chicago Alderman Sandi Jackson, thank family members at his election night party Tuesday, March 20, 2012, in Chicago after his Democratic primary win over challenger, former Rep. Debbie Halvorson, in the Illinois’ 2nd District. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green)
WASHINGTON — Former U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. was charged Friday with scheming to spend $750,000 in campaign funds on personal expenses. His wife was charged with filing false income tax forms.
Federal prosecutors filed a charge of conspiracy against the former congressman and charged his wife, Sandra, with one count of filing false joint federal income tax returns for the years 2006 through 2011. Both agreed to plead guilty in plea deals with federal prosecutors.
The charges represent a dramatic fall from political prominence for the couple. The son of a famed civil rights leader, Jackson entered Congress in 1995 and resigned last November. Sandi, as she’s known, was a Chicago alderman, but resigned last month.
In a statement, the ex-congressman said, “I offer no excuses for my conduct, and I fully accept my responsibility for the improper decisions and mistakes I have made.”
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