ChicagoVideoJesse Jackson, Jr.

Jesse Jackson Jr. Plea Deal: Congressman's Rumored Deal Could Include Resignation, Jail Time

Report: Jackson Jr.'s Plea Deal Could Include Resignation, Jail Time
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A resignation from Congress and jail time are reportedly part of a tentative plea deal U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.) is currently considering.

CBS Chicago reported Saturday that veteran criminal defense attorney and former U.S. Attorney Dan Webb is negotiating a deal that tentatively includes the congressman pleading guilty to misusing campaign funds, resigning for health reasons, repaying any campaign contributions that went toward personal expenditures and -- almost inevitably -- some jail time.

The negotiations are expected to be wrapped up by the year's end, according to CBS.

The day after Jackson was handily reelected, reports emerged that the congressman is engaged in "ongoing" plea discussions with the feds concerning improper use of campaign contributions. The Chicago Sun-Times' Michael Sneed reported that the investigation concerns a $40,000 Rolex watch the Chicago Democrat allegedly bought for a female friend, as well as funds said to have been used to decorate Jackson's Washington, D.C. home.

Members of Chicago's City Council, of which Jackson's wife Sandi Jackson is a member, criticized the congressman after news of the reported plea deal went public.

"To slap us in the face now, you just lied to us. You just lied to us. I feel so betrayed," Ald. Carrie Austin (34th) told NBC Chicago last week.

Ald. Deborah Graham (29th) told the Sun-Times she is "heartbroken" for Sandi amid the controversy.

"It’s a terrible time for her and her children," Graham told the newspaper.

The Jackson family -- as well as staffers seen inside the congressman's district office in Chicago -- have as yet declined to comment on the reported plea talks.

The congressman has been away from work since June and has remained silent on when he aims to return to Washington after re-admitting himself to Mayo Clinic for treatment for bipolar disorder last month.

If Jackson does resign from office, a special election would be held to choose his successor.

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Before You Go

Jesse Jackson Jr. Medical Condition
Jesse Jackson Jr.(01 of08)
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FILE - In this March 21, 2010 file photo, Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr., D-Ill., uses his PDA to photograph demonstrators outside on the U.S. Capitol as the House prepares to vote on health care reform in Washington. When Jackson disappeared on a mysterious medical leave in June 2012, it took weeks for anyone in Washington to notice. Jackson has never lived up to the high expectations on the national stage. (credit:AP)
Jesse Jackson, Jr.(02 of08)
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FILE - In this Jan. 5, 2011 file photo, Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr., D-Ill., is pictured before a ceremonial swearing in of the Congressional Black Caucus on Capitol Hill in Washington. (credit:AP)
Jesse Jackson Jr.(03 of08)
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FILE - In this May 16, 2011 file photo, U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. attends ceremonies for Chicago Mayor-elect Rahm Emanuel in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast, File) (credit:AP)
Jesse Jackson Jr.(04 of08)
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FILE - In this Tuesday, March 20, 2012 file photo, U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., D-Ill., thanks supporters at his election night party in Chicago. Jackson's office announced Monday, June 25, 2012 in a news release that the congressman has been on a medical leave of absence since June 10 and is being treated for exhaustion. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green, File) (credit:AP)
Jesse Jackson Jr., Sandi Jackson(05 of08)
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U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., D-Ill., and his wife Chicago Alderman Sandi Jackson, thank family members at his election night party Tuesday, March 20, 2012, in Chicago after his Democratic primary win over challenger, former Rep. Debbie Halvorson, in the Illinois' 2nd District. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green) (credit:AP)
Jesse Jackson Jr., Sandi Jackson(06 of08)
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U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., D-Ill., and his wife Chicago Alderman Sandi Jackson, embrace at his election night party Tuesday, March 20, 2012, in Chicago after his Democratic primary win over challenger, former Rep. Debbie Halvorson, in the Illinois' 2nd District. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green) (credit:AP)
Timothy Geithner, Jesse Jackson Jr.(07 of08)
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Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, right, declines an offer by U.S. Rep Jesse Jackson Jr., D-Ill., to talk to reporters during a tour of the Ford Motor Company Stamping Plant in Chicago Heights, Ill., Wednesday, April 4, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast) (credit:AP)
U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., Sandi Jackson(08 of08)
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U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. and his wife, Chicago Alderman Sandi Jackson, ask each other for their support and votes as they arrive at a polling station for early voting, Friday, March 9, 2012, in Chicago. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green) (credit:AP)
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