Before Judge Amy Berman Jackson on Wednesday sentenced former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. to 30 months in prison for misusing campaign funds, she told him he violated the trust of the people of Chicago.
"You were not just Jesse Jackson Jr., you were Congressman Jackson," Judge Berman Jackson told him in court. "Your conduct stained not only your reputation, but the way all elected officials are viewed."
And now the area Jackson Jr. represented, and the state in which he was elected, is reacting.
"Justice has to be served," Gov. Pat Quinn said, "and if you did the crime, you have to do the time."
"It's a heartbreaking situation," Sen. Dick Durbin told NBCChicago. "It just breaks my heart to think about what this means for the children, but it's clear that he did something that's very, very wrong, and he's paying a heavy price for it."
Sen. Kwame Raoul said he prays for the Jacksons' children.
"It's a sad day," Raoul said. "He violated the law, and there are consequences for violating the law. Congressman Jackson, you know, I always thought had great talent, and it's unfortunate he made some the decisions that he made."
Former Chicago Ald. Sandi Jackson was sentenced to 12 months in prison for tax fraud.
The couple has two children, a 13-year-old daughter and a 9-year-old son.
