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Jesse Jackson Jr-Court Statement

Posted August 14, 2013 10:09 am

BC-IL--Jesse Jackson Jr-Court Statement,128

Jackson: 'I misled the American people'

WASHINGTON (AP) — An emotional Jesse Jackson Jr. says he "misled the American people."

He made the statement to a federal judge who is sentencing him for misusing $750,000 in campaign money.

Pausing and appearing to get choked up in the Washington courtroom on Wednesday, the former congressman also apologized to his mother and his father, civil rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson.

He added: "I take responsibility for my actions and am very sorry for what I've done."

The 48-year-old Chicago Democrat faces up to five years in prison for conspiring to defraud his campaign by spending money on everything from a gold-plated Rolex watch to mounted elk heads.

His 49-year-old wife, Sandra, pleaded guilty to filing false tax returns. Prosecutors recommended an 18 month sentence for the former Chicago alderman.

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