Former Democratic Illinois congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. was sentenced Wednesday to 30 months in federal prison.
The son of famous civil rights activist Rev. Jesse Jackson, Jackson pleaded guilty in February to purchasing personal luxury items with his wife totaling more than $750,000 on campaign credit cards. “I used money that should have been for campaign purposes for personal purposes,” Jackson said in February.
A federal district court judge in Washington, D.C. said that she plans to recommend a federal prison camp in either Alabama or North Carolina to serve as Jackson’s next home. Jackson is requesting placement in Montgomery, Alabama. Jackson will report to prison November 1. With good behavior, he can earn release in just more than 25 months.
Similar to the application process for choosing a college dorm, Jackson’s attorneys presented the Federal Prison Camp in Montgomery, Alabama and the Federal Correction Institute Butner in North Carolina as Jackson’s top choices. Both of these prisons appeared on Forbes’ list of the “cushiest prisons” in America in 2009.
Additionally, Jackson’s wife Sandra was sentenced to one year in prison for misstating the couple’s income on tax returns.
Jackson’s attorneys tried to reduce his sentencing by presenting Jackson’s spotty mental health record to the judge.
Jackson revealed his agonizing battle with “bipolar disorder,” which was previously characterized as “exhaustion” and a “mood disorder,” and even stayed at the Mayo Clinic in late 2012, before resigning in November, just days after winning re-election. Jackson was under investigation at the time for his corruption.