The Justice Department filed fraud and conspiracy charges on Friday against former Representative Jesse L. Jackson Jr., saying that he used about $750,000 in campaign money for personal expenses that included a Michael Jackson fedora and cashmere capes.
The 10-page document filed in federal court by prosecutors in Washington offered details of Mr. Jackson’s use of campaign money. He has agreed to plead guilty to the charges, although a date for him to accept the plea deal before a judge has not yet been set.
Mr. Jackson’s wife, Sandra Stevens, was also charged with one count of filing false tax returns.
According to the documents, Mr. Jackson also used the campaign money to buy memorabilia related to Bruce Lee, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Jimi Hendrix, as well as a mink parka.
In a written statement, Mr. Jackson apologized to his family, friends and supporters for his “errors in judgment.”
“Over the course of my life I have come to realize that none of us are immune from our share of shortcomings and human frailties,” he said. “Still 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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Source: New York Times.
