Jesse Jackson Jr. Has Been Sentenced To 2.5 Years In Prison

Former U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. was sentenced on Wednesday to 2.5 years in prison after pleading guilty to misspending campaign funds for personal use, The Chicago Sun-Times and others are reporting.

Jackson will also be supervised for three-plus years upon his release from prison. He pleaded guilty to spending more than $750,000 on campaign funds on personal items — including more than $43,000 on a Rolex watch.

The 48-year-old Jackson, who is the son of civil rights leader Jesse Jackson, had been a Democratic congressman from Illinois since 1995 before he resigned last November.

His wife, Sandi Jackson, who also pleaded guilty in the schemes, was sentenced to one year of prison time.

U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson said there were no "gray areas" in her sentencing decision.

"There may be gray areas in campaign finance. This case did not come near to those areas," she said. "As a public official, you are supposed to live up to a higher standard of ethics and integrity."