Former Representative Jesse L. Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.) conspired with his wifeto illegally spend $750,000 in campaign funds on personal expenses, including$43,000 for a Rolex watch, home renovations, and fur coats.
Jesse and Sandi Jackson is Power, Greed, and Corruption Exemplified
Other expenditures listed by prosecutors include $10,105 on Bruce Leememorabilia, $11,130 on Martin Luther King memorabilia and $22,700 on MichaelJackson items, including $4,600 for a Michael Jackson fedora.
His wife, Sandi Jackson, is accused of filing "incorrect joint taxreturns" [tax evasion] with her husband for calendar years 2006 through2011, reporting income substantially less than the amount of income she and herhusband received in each of the calendar years, with a substantial additionaltax due.
Meanwhile, millions of Americans are trying to survive on food stamps in theaftermath of the Great Recession --- the Jacksons fiddled whileRome burned.
The former Democratic congressman from Chicago was charged with one count ofconspiracy to commit wire fraud, mail fraud and false statements. He faces up tofive years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000 and other penalties. His wifealso faces up to three years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000 and otherpenalties. (Why would the fines be less than the theft?)
Jackson Jr. is expected to plead guilty to the charges of conspiracy, making false statements, mail fraud and wire fraud.In his statement Jackson says, "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 says shortcomings and human frailties, not betrayal and excessivegreed.
Also in his statement Jackson says, "I fully accept my responsibility for the improper decisions and mistakes I have made."He says improper decisions and mistakes, not deceitful lies and theft.
Jackson also says, "I want to offer my sincerest apologies...for my errors in judgment."
Errors in judgment? A error in judgment might be farting on an elevator when you didn't think anyone else would notice, notbuying a fur coat for your wife with someone elses money. The purchases theymade were made between 2007 and 2009, so it wasn't just a one-time lapse in judgment,it was an ongoing criminal enterprise.
Will a judge believe Jackson to be sincere --- and not send him to prison for "improper decisions,errors in judgment, mistakes, shortcomings and human frailties"?
Or will Jackson do hard time for illegally spending $750,000 in campaign funds on personal expenses, including$43,000 for a Rolex watch, home renovations, fur coats and a huge array of other transactions?
Sandi Jackson's attorneys also released a statement saying she "looksforward to putting this matter behind her." In other words, "Let'sjust forget the whole thing and pretend it never happened."
Jesse L. Jackson Jr represents everything I'm against --- using power and influencefor personal enrichment. Any "good" he might have once accomplishedhas been erased and negated by his greed and deceit.
And all the drama about his health was most likely just a part of the overallfraud when he got caught. He had just wanted to put himself into a more sympatheticand favorable light.
Former Representative Jesse L. Jackson Jr is a fraud and a cheat, and herepresents everything that is wrong with our congress today. Now he's nothingmore than another episode of American Greed and anational embarrassment to his father. All he's accomplished now was just toprovide Fox News with fodder against the Democrats.
It just goes to prove that, with Jackson's $174,000 congressional salary, combined with whatever his wife may have legally earned, that for somepeople "enough can never enough" --- and that power does corrupt.
And as history has shown, everyone in congress is most likely guilty to somevarying degree of corruption.
"Wealth is like sea-water; the more we drink, thethirstier we become." - Schopenhauer
Hiç yorum yok:
Yorum Gönder