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Feds ask for prison time for Jesse Jackson Jr.

CHICAGO, June 8 (UPI) -- Prosecutors asked a federal judge to send former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., D-Ill., to prison for four years for illegal personal use of campaign funds.

Jackson, who will be sentenced next month, would also have to pay back $1.5 million he pleaded guilty to diverting $750,000 from re-election campaign treasury, under the sentence federal prosecutors recommended to the judge in a memorandum filed Friday.

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Jackson, the 48-year-old son of civil rights leader Jesse Jackson, admitted spending campaign funds on non-political items including home renovations, pricey clothing, a $48,000 watch and tuition for his kids' school.

His wife, former Chicago Alderman Sandi Jackson, pleaded guilty to filing false income tax returns that understated the couple's income. Prosecutors recommended an 18-month sentence for her.

Politico said the U.S. Attorney's office told the judge it was agreeable to allowing the couple, who have two children, to serve staggered sentences so they won't both be in prison at the same time.

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