Jesse Jackson Junior admits fraud
The son of former US presidential candidate Jesse Jackson has admitted conspiracy to commit fraud with electoral funds when he was a congressman.
Jesse Jackson Jr. entered a guilty plea in a Washington federal court to criminal charges that he engaged in a scheme to spend 750,000 dollars (€560,000) in campaign money on personal items.
Both the former Illinois member of the the House of Representatives and his wife, Sandra, had agreed to plead guilty in deals with federal prosecutors.
Jackson’s guilty plea was to a conspiracy charge.
His wife was due in court later on a charge of filing false joint federal income tax returns for the years 2006 through to 2011 that knowingly understated the income the couple received.
The Jacksons were appearing separately before US District Judge Robert L. Wilkins.
Both Jackson and his wife face maximum penalties of several years in prison; he also faces hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines and forfeitures.
