Jesse Jackson Jr. gets 30 months in prison for misusing campaign funds

Former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. enters U.S. District Court in Washington on February 20. .

Washington (CNN) -- Former U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., once a rising Democratic star whose political fortunes imploded over crimes to finance lavish living, was sentenced to 30 months in prison on Wednesday.

"I misled the American people," Jackson, 48, said before U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson imposed the term, which she said should be served in Alabama.
The ex-Illinois lawmaker's wife, Sandi, received a 12-month sentence for her role in her husband's misuse of roughly $750,000 in campaign funds over several years.
The pair pleaded guilty in February to various charges -- Jackson to one count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud, and false statements; and his wife to filing false tax returns.
A smooth politician and the son of a civil rights leader and one-time political heavyweight, Jackson admitted to years of using campaign money to pay for things such as vacations, furs and Michael Jackson memorabilia.
In a statement read in court, Jackson said he wanted to be held accountable for his actions and he knew what he did was wrong.
He also asked the judge to not punish his wife for what he said "was a subset of what I did."
"I ask that my kids not suffer from my actions," Jackson said of his two children, 9 and 13. "If probation is not available to my wife, give me her time."...Read more