Jesse Jackson, Jr. was sentenced yesterday to 2 1/2 years for his crimes while a congressman from Illinois. His wife, former Ald. Sandi Jackson was sentenced to 12 months in prison for her role in the crimes. The couple was shocked by sentence, even though average citizens often go away for much longer periods for a fraction of the money stolen by the Jackson family. In this case, the Jacksons misappropriated $750,000 but will spend less than three years in jail. This is not an inconsequential sentence. However, the reduction of charges and credit for “cooperation” by the prosecutors is a bit of a surprise given the long course of misconduct and evasion by Jesse Jackson Jr., who publicly claimed credit yesterday for “manning up” to his responsibilities.
Even that sentence is being heralded as a tough ruling given the power and prestige of the Jackson family. As I have previously admitted, I am no fan of the Jackson family. A native Chicagoan, I watched as Jesse Jackson Sr. engaged in a series of questionable practices in building a family empire. The corruption shown by his son and daughter-in-law reflected the relative immunity long held by the family. Indeed, Democratic members remain relatively silent on the whole affair.
The fact is that if an average person rips off victims for a few thousand dollars or steals $750,000 worth of cars, they would be looking at a much longer sentence. Here the Jackson committed a long series of fraudulent acts in raiding campaign funds for personal use –even though the Obama Administration decided to reduce the charges against him in a deal.
In this case, Judge Amy Berman Jackson (who is not related to the couple) actually left it up to the couple to decide who will go to jail first and agreed to stagger their sentences to allow one to remain free while the other is in jail. They opted for Jesse Jackson Jr. to go first.
Outside the courtroom, Jesse Jackson Jr. insisted that “I manned up and tried to accept responsibility for the errors of my ways, and I still believe in the resurrection.” Really? He manned up by first disappearing while in office then running for reelection while absent from Congress and then trying to hold up Congress for special payments to get rid of him.
Despite the demands of the prosecutors for full restitution, Jackson will not have to return the misspent campaign funds on top of the forfeiture under this plea deal for the $750,000. Prosecutors had sought both restitution and forfeiture. The couple used the money to buy jewelry, pay for spas, take vacations, and other luxuries over the course of many years.
Nevertheless, after reducing the charges against Jackson, the prosecutors said that Jackson deserved credit for cooperating with the investigation, and for agreeing to plead guilty. This seemed to ignore his years of evasion in public office, forcing the city to spend millions in a special election, and trying to hold up Congress. He “cooperated” only after the clear proof of criminality was uncovered and he had fled into isolation at an undisclosed treatment facility. Then there is his abuse of a position of authority as a public servant which usually serves as an aggravator to push sentencing to the upper range of the sentencing guidelines. Jackson appears to have been given credit for finally acknowledging that he was a crook in public office after he could no longer evade prosecutors or the press.
Notably, the court rejected Jackson’s efforts to claim that a bipolar condition affected his judgment.
Source: CBS
He might regret that “manning up” BS, real, real soon. Someone should send him a soap on the rope as a going away present.
“even though the Obama Administration decided to reduce the charges against him in a deal.”
The Obama Administration? You mean the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia maybe?? The White House, as I’m sure you know does not prosecute cases. That’s the sole province of the US attorney’s office.
What a joke. No significant time, no restitution to donors, and he wants to go to camp in Alabama. Oh yeah, he’s learned his lesson.
I look forward to the professor’s vigorous calls for McDonnell’s prosecution…
http://field-negro.blogspot.com/2013/08/the-rise-and-fall-of-jesse-jr.html#.UgzxjZL2Zic
James Traficant, an Ohio Democrat who served in the House was convicted of taking bribes, taking campaign funds for personal use, filing false tax returns, racketeering, and forcing his aides to perform chores at his farm in Ohio and houseboat in Washington, D.C. He was incarcerated at Allenwood, the same place Aldrich Ames is serving his sentence, and was released after serving a seven-year sentence.
In September 2010, Traficant, now a Tea Party favorite, was certified to run for the same seat he held before his expulsion, and said that his platform would be to repeal the 16th Amendment. He lost the election.
Now, those of you who know Ohio, I can hear you snicker when I note that Traficant represented the Youngstown area but, consider this: while he was serving as Sheriff back in the 80’s, he was charged with racketeering for accepting bribes. Traficant, who represented himself in the criminal trial, argued that he accepted the bribes only as part of an undercover investigation into corruption. Traficant was acquitted of the charges, becoming the only person ever to win a Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) case while representing himself.
I bring up the case of Traficant because I believe it illustrates what kind of sentence should be meted out for politicians who betray the public trust and what sort of institution should house them.
Judge Amy Berman Jackson, an Obama appointee, did not jail Jackson for the 4 years the prosecution sought, nor did she require Jackson to pay back money to donors. Let’s see if he gets to go to camp in Alabama.
voltaic 1, August 15, 2013 at 8:37 am
At least he is spending some time behind bars. If he was a bankster CEO/executive instead of a lowly politician, he would have had to simply pay a fine under Obama..
*****
The banksters rarely pay the fines out of their own pockets. Their banks usually pay the fines–so most of the banksters really aren’t punished.
I agree with voltaic. It would be nice to see a few banksters get some jail time for their crimes. I don’t have a problem with the length of the sentences, but I do have a problem that the judge didn’t require full restitution. I assume that the seized property did not add up to the $750,000.
I’d love to see the memo’s or be a fly on the wall for the discussions between Eric Holder and the president (and/or Holder’s subordinates) regarding the prosecution (and previous refusal to prosecute) of Triple J. I live in Chicago and have posted on this blog before that it is my believe that the only (main) reason he wasn’t prosecuted in the Northern District of Illinois (at the same time as our former Governor Rod Blagojevich) was the fact that Triple J had been the co-chair of Obama’s election campaign in 2008. They administration didn’t need that much stink close to the second election. There’s no logical reason for prosecuting Blago for taking a multi-million dollar bribe from Jackson, but not prosecuting Jackson. Raghuveer Nayak, Jackson’s bag-man/fund=raiser, was the government’s main witness against Blago. Nayak said in no uncertain terms he was attempting to bribe Blago at Triple J’s direction. The prosecution for misusing funds is just a well orchestrated fig leaf for a corrupt US Attorney’s Office.
http://chicagoist.com/2013/08/12/robert_blagojevich_demands_jesse_ja.php
OS, Forty years ago 3% of members of Congress went on to become lobbyist. The percentage now is 48% and climbing steadily every year. There’s gold in them thar hall of Congress! And it’s OUR money.
Juliet, You are a wise woman! Class and money trump race, and it always will. Because we will NEVER deal w/ class and economic prejudice.
We have read the review and thank you for your kind words as well as the references to friends. Leslyn is pacing about as she has an interview w/ a local Wi. State Journal columnist who just read the book and wants to do a piece on it. She’s as “nervous as a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs.” I just gave her a shoulder/neck rub.
Jackson got caught. Washington is full of people who have gotten rich on a congressman or senator’s salary. Like how can Mitch McConnell turn his salary into a fortune, with some reports saying it exceeds $40 million? When he took office in 1985, he was not broke, but not a wealthy man either. A senator’s salary i 1985 was $75,100 per year. It is currently $144,00 per year. I think I had the wrong investment adviser.
Btw, I did write an Amazon review of your wife’s book. I’ve also recommended it to friends.
JulietN, The man is a Chicago politician. A felony is just a bump in the road for him.
My question is, do you think if the Jackson couple were just regular black folks convicted of a felony drug, fraud, etc. that they would be afforded the same stay of execution for Ms. Jackson. I just consulted w/ my wife who was a sentencing guideline person for the Federal Court in Madison. She said Mr. Jackson will be serving 85% of his sentence. That means Ms. Jackson will be getting an almost 2 year stay of execution of her 1 year sentence. Even though this is ostensibly for the children, my wife has never saw such accommodation in her 30 year career w/ the Federal Bureau of Prisons and Federal Probation.
Nick: Of course, they wouldn’t. Wealth is a “super-privilege.” It overrides, for the most part, all other prejudices, particularly in courts of law.
What, WHAT? Lawmakers going to jail for misdeeds? Even if it’s for 10 minutes it’s the polar opposite of what we come to expect from our infallible fourth Reich.
The sentence is ridiculously light. However, at least he’s a convicted felon. That’s a life sentence, in itself.
Further evidence of a developing two tier judicial system – one for the connected and another for the rest of us.
Just goes to show that in this case, crime does pay. Let’s hope he doesn’t declare bankruptcy to get out of paying the money back.
What AY and volatic said. I also read that . . .
“In preparation for his sentencing hearing on Wednesday, Jackson’s attorneys named their client’s first choices for where to spend time behind bars: the Federal Prison Camp in Montgomery, Ala., or the Federal Correctional Institution Butner, in North Carolina.
By chance or design, both of the prisons named by attorneys for the one-time lawmaker on Monday made a 2009 Forbes list of the nation’s “cushiest prisons.”
http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/08/13/20006142-jesse-jackson-jr-could-end-up-in-one-of-the-nations-cushiest-prisons
At least he is spending some time behind bars. If he was a bankster CEO/executive instead of a lowly politician, he would have had to simply pay a fine under Obama..
Sounds like a corrupt machine and favorable treatment…..