Jackson's plan to report early may have hit a snag. ABC7 Eyewitness News has learned a paperwork problem means he's not technically in custody. On Monday night, we're told Jackson and his attorney are still inside the prison admission office trying to sort it out.
Butner, North Carolina will be Jesse Jackson Jr.'s home away from home. Jackson avoids the media and shaves a few days off the end of his 2-and-a-half year prison sentence by reporting early.
Accompanying Jackson on the turn-in trip was his former colleague in Congress, G.K. Butterfield of North Carolina. Representative Butterfield is quoted in a news release: "Congressman Jackson and I have been good friends for many years and I am happy to report that he is in good spirits, all things considered."
"Today I manned up and tried to accept responsibility for the errors of my ways," said Jesse Jackson Jr., last August.
On a hot day in DC last August, Jackson offered a slight smile in court after a judge sentenced him to far less than the maximum he faces for looting his campaign fund to the tune of three-quarters of a million dollars.
The money went to home improvements, fancy furs, entertainment, travel and more.
Last week, Jackson's attorneys told a judge he could only pay $200,000 of it back now, but he'll sell his Washington DC home to raise more money.
While Jackson is expected to be assigned to a low-security wing of the prison outside Raleigh-Durham, it'll be a far fall from the positions he previously enjoyed. The son of a civil rights leader, a promising politician, and even after his conviction, he continued to enjoy "the good life." The ABC 7 I-Team spotted Jackson pool-side at a posh Beverly Hills hotel in August.
Once Jackson is officially admitted, he'll spend several weeks going through orientation, he'll be assigned a job and eventually be allowed visitors.
Interesting to note, Jackson's publicist made no mention of any Jackson family members accompanying him during his final few hours of freedom.
