Danville man pleads guilty to drug, weapons charge
The sentences will be served concurrently. Jackson will serve one year of mandatory supervised release following his release from prison. Judge Karen Wall presided over the plea and sentencing.
Evidence was presented that on Oct. 26, 2024, Jackson was the driver of a car that was stopped by the Vermilion County Sheriff's Department for violations of the Illinois Vehicle Code. Deputies observed suspicious activity during the stop and searched the vehicle and the occupants, including Jackson. While searching Jackson's person, deputies located a loaded handgun. Jackson had previously been convicted of Unlawful Possession of a Weapon by a Felon and is not legally allowed to possess a handgun.
The People also presented evidence that on Nov. 7, 2024, while Jackson was an inmate at the Vermilion County Public Safety Building, an investigator of the Vermilion County Sheriff's Department received information that drugs were present in the jail. Following this lead, Jackson was questioned and subsequently searched. The investigator located cocaine concealed on Jackson's person.
State's Attorney Jacqueline Lacy thanked the members of the Vermilion County Sheriff's Department for their work in these cases. She added, 'This defendant, who was already facing serious charges for illegally possessing a weapon, showed complete disregard for the law by bringing illegal drugs into the Public Safety Building. Not only was his behavior illegal, but he endangered the security of our correctional facility, staff and inmates.'
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Chicago Tribune
4 days ago
- Chicago Tribune
Candidates file financial reports in crowded congressional races as Jesse Jackson Jr. lays groundwork for comeback effort
With Democratic U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin and Rep. Jan Schakowsky set to retire and Rep. Danny Davis potentially ready to join them, next year's election will mark a significant changing of the guard in Illinois' congressional delegation. But one member of the old guard says he's gearing up for a comeback attempt. Former U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. this week filed paperwork to create an exploratory committee for a possible run in the state's 2nd Congressional District, the seat he held for almost 17 years before resigning amid a corruption probe. Jackson said in a statement that 'it is my intention to secure a place on the ballot' by circulating nominating petitions in the 2nd Congressional District. Jackson's attempt at political redemption comes a decade after he was released from federal prison for violating campaign finance laws by using $750,000 in campaign money for personal purchases that included a Rolex watch and Michael Jackson and Bruce Lee memorabilia. The 2nd District would be one of what could be four hotly contested Chicago-area congressional races in reliably Democratic districts, with candidates this week filing campaign fundraising reports covering the three-month period that scrambled Illinois politics. In addition to retirement announcements from Durbin, of Springfield, and Schakowsky, of Evanston, two of the state's Democratic members of Congress announced they'd make primary bids for the Senate seat Durbin has had a virtual lock on since 1997. The seat Jackson occupied from 1995 to 2012 is open because his successor, Rep. Robin Kelly of Matteson, is seeking to replace Durbin rather than running for another term representing a district that now stretches south along the Lake Michigan shoreline and the Indiana border from 43rd Street in Chicago to Danville in central Illinois. Jackson would be joining a field that includes seven declared Democratic candidates in the heavily blue district. Leading the way in fundraising so far is state Sen. Robert Peters, a South Side native who's held a seat previously occupied by Attorney General Kwame Raoul and President Barack Obama since 2019. In the three months ending June 30, Peters raised more than $415,000, and he entered July with nearly $375,000 in his campaign account, Federal Election Commission records show. The largest contribution to Peters, whose endorsements include U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, is $10,000 from the Progressive Turnout Project, a Chicago-based political action committee. He's also received several contributions from current and former Illinois Senate colleagues. 'To see this kind of enthusiasm fueling our campaign in just the first six weeks is humbling,' Peters, who entered the race in mid-May, said in a statement. 'This is grassroots energy we will need as we build a big, broad coalition to take on Donald Trump and his wrecking crew in Congress.' The quarterly reports for others in the race show Adal Regis, who worked in Kelly's district office on grants, raised nearly $22,000 and had almost $15,000 on hand as of July 1; while management consultant Eric France raised more than $13,000 and had more than $1,800 on hand. Yumeka Brown, the three-term village clerk of Matteson and a commissioner on the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District Board, had $500 in the bank at the end of June. Also in the race is Cook County Commissioner Donna Miller of south suburban Lynwood, who officially entered the race after the end of the previous reporting period. The lone declared Republican candidate is Ashley Ramos, who lost to Kelly in the 2024 general election and didn't report raising any money in the previous quarter. Jackson could dramatically alter the Democratic primary race. The son of civil rights icon the Rev. Jesse Jackson and brother of U.S. Rep. Jonathan Jackson, Jesse Jackson Jr. resigned the 2nd District seat Nov. 21, 2012, just weeks after he won reelection despite the revelation a month earlier that federal prosecutors and the FBI were investigating possible misuse of campaign funds. Jackson had largely disappeared from public view the previous June after taking a medical leave from the House for what aides initially described as exhaustion but was later diagnosed at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota as bipolar depression. In February 2013, Jackson pleaded guilty to one count of wire and mail fraud and was sentenced that August to 30 months in prison. Jackson's now former wife, former Chicago Ald. Sandi Jackson, later served time for federal tax fraud in covering up the spending violations. Now a talk show host on WVON-AM, Jackson unsuccessfully sought a pardon during Joe Biden's tenure in the White House. Jackson was also involved in disgraced former Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich's attempt to sell the U.S. Senate seat of then-incoming President Obama in 2008. Jackson actively sought an appointment to the seat from Blagojevich and federal authorities alleged Blagojevich fundraiser and Jackson family friend Raghuveer Nayak offered to raise up to $6 million in campaign funds for the then governor in exchange for naming Jackson to the Senate. Jackson said he had no knowledge of the offer. Blagojevich, impeached and imprisoned on federal corruption charges, was pardoned in February by President Donald Trump. Also giving up a safe Democratic congressional seat in a bid to succeed Durbin is Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi of Schaumburg. His decision created what so far is a seven-way Democratic primary race in the northwest suburban 8th Congressional District. The top fundraiser over the last quarter was Junaid Ahmed of Barrington, who unsuccessfully challenged Krishnamoorthi in the 2022 primary. Ahmed reported raising more than $338,000 through June 30 and ended the quarter with more than $329,000 in his campaign account, federal records show. The next-highest haul went to Dan Tully, a veteran and lawyer from Carol Stream, who reported raising nearly $205,000 and had more than $199,000 remaining at the end of June. Cook County Commissioner Kevin Morrison of Mount Prospect and Hanover Park Trustee Yasmeen Bankole, reported raising nearly $183,000 and more than $109,000, respectively. Morrison, the first openly LGBTQ member of the Cook County Board, had nearly $153,000 on hand at the end of June, while Bankole, a former Krishnamoorthi staffer, had more than $105,000. Also cracking six figures was businesswoman Sanjyot Dunung, who reported raising nearly $109,000 but had a little less than $59,000 remaining. The Democratic field also includes Christ Kallas and Neil Khot. On the Republican side, Mark Rice, an energy entrepreneur who lost to Krishnamoorthi in the November election, raised $109,000 and had nearly $202,000. The most crowded Democratic primary field so far is in the race for Schakowsky's 9th Congressional District seat, representing portions of Chicago's North Side and North Shore and northwest suburbs. Illinois newcomer and social media content creator Kat Abughazaleh, who entered the race before Schakowsky announced her retirement, led the pack of 14 Democratic candidates with nearly $905,000 raised, records show. She spent nearly $238,000, ending the quarter with nearly $667,000 on hand. Her cash on hand total was nearly as much as the next-closest competitor, Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss, reported raising during the same period. Biss raised nearly $703,000, about half of which his campaign said was raised in the first 24 hours after he declared his candidacy in May. Biss, who on Wednesday received an endorsement from progressive U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, had more than $645,000 on hand at the end of the filing period. Rounding out the six-figure fundraisers were former Chicago Public Schools board candidate Bruce Leon, who loaned his congressional campaign $610,000, state Sen. Laura Fine of Glenview, who raised nearly $263,000 and had more than $237,000 in her account at the end of June, and Skokie School District 73.5 board member Bushra Amiwala, whose report shows nearly $199,000 raised and more than $191,000 on hand. Two other candidates with electoral track records, state Rep. Hoan Huynh and state Sen. Mike Simmons, joined the race after the close of the reporting period. Another candidate, former federal prosecutor Nick Pyati of Evanston, entered the fray Tuesday. Another heated race could be off and running if 15-term Rep. Danny Davis, 83, follows Durbin and Schakowsky into retirement. A campaign spokeswoman said Wednesday that Davis would make his decision known 'in a few weeks.' Candidates can begin collection signatures Aug. 5 for their nominating petitions to get on the primary ballot. While he could easily turn on the fundraising tap if he decides to run again, Davis reported raising less than $55,000 last quarter, finishing with a little less than $115,000 in his campaign coffers. Seeing an opportunity, political newcomer Jason Friedman, former president of Friedman Properties, reported raising more than $1 million in the preceding three months, with $906,000 left at the end of June. 'Our campaign to fight for our communities and bring relief to working families is resonating with people across the Chicago area,' Friedman said in a statement. 'As I meet with voters and local leaders, I'm energized by the strong support we've received since launching our campaign just a couple months ago and eager to build on that momentum to deliver results for the 7th District.' But the competition likely will be fierce if Davis chooses not to run. Last week, after the previous reporting period ended, Richard Boykin, a onetime Davis chief of staff and former Cook County commissioner, entered the race. Longtime state Rep. La Shawn Ford also has filed to run for the seat but has said he only will do so if Davis isn't on the ballot. Ford didn't report raising any money last quarter. Even if Davis does run again, Ford said he won't seek reelection for his state House seat next year. At the end of his current term, he'll have been in the legislature for 20 years. 'That's a long time, and I appreciate being able to serve that length of time,' Ford said in a brief interview Wednesday. Ford said he doesn't begrudge Davis for taking his time to make a decision about the future. 'Danny deserves the right to make a decision,' he said. 'I don't think his timeframe is going to hurt anyone who might want to run.'
Wall Street Journal
4 days ago
- Wall Street Journal
Texas Law Firm Heads Toward Trial Over Ex-Judge's Romance
Texas law firm Jackson Walker didn't reach a deal ahead of a court-imposed deadline to resolve a civil case brought by the Justice Department over an ex-partner's romantic relationship with the nation's former top bankruptcy judge. Jackson Walker and the Justice Department's Office of the U.S. Trustee concluded mediated talks without resolving litigation around the firm's involvement in the ethics scandal that forced former bankruptcy judge David R. Jones off the bench in 2023, according to court papers filed Tuesday.
New York Post
6 days ago
- New York Post
Michael Jackson pal Frank Cascio accused of shaking his estate down for $213m
A New Jersey man who once took Michael Jackson into his family home after the 9/11 terror attacks —and called the pop icon his 'second family'— is now being accused of trying to extort $213 million from Jackson's estate. Frank Cascio, 44, has apparently threatened to go public with claims against the singer which he never voiced while Jackson was alive. In a petition filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, the Michael Jackson Company and estate co-executors John Branca and John McClain allege that Frank Cascio and unidentified associates are attempting what they describe as a 'civil extortion scheme,' leveraging the threat of sensational accusations to extract massive payouts. 9 The Cascio family with Michael Jackson (top left). Family patriach Dominic Cascio is center (with beard) and his eldest sons Frank and Eddie are pictured top right. Advertisement 9 Michael Jackson with Frank Cascio when he was a young child. @VincentFAmen/X For more than three decades, Cascio – whose father had struck up a friendship with Michael while working at a hotel in New York, leading the 'Beat It' superstar to become a regular visitor to his home and to refer to the Cascios as his second family – was among Jackson's most vocal defenders. In dozens of public statements, TV interviews, and in his own 2011 book, 'My Friend Michael', Cascio praised Jackson in unequivocal terms. The star was twice accused of child abuse during his career, in 1993 and 2003, but settled the first case out of court and was acquitted in the second. Advertisement 'I want to be precise and clear, on the record, so that everyone can read and understand: Michael's love for children was innocent, and it was profoundly misunderstood,' Cascio wrote in the book. He added, 'In all the years that I was close to him, I saw nothing that raised any red flags, not as a child and not as an adult.' Cascio also declared that Jackson had been the victim of false allegations: 'He was being attacked by liars… There was nothing ambiguous about the whole thing. These people were after Michael's money. But he was innocent, and we were going to destroy them in court.' 9 Michael Jackson with Frank Cascio (2nd from right) in London. After growing up with Michael around, Cascio eventually went to work for the star as a personal assistant. PA Images via Getty Images 9 Frank Cascio in 2011 on 'Good Morning America.' Previously he has been very vocal in saying Jackson was completley innocent and never inappropriate around young people, as others have claimed. Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images Advertisement In a 2005 'ABC Primetime Live' interview, he said: 'If Michael ever laid a finger on me, I would not be in this chair right now.' When asked by Wendy Williams in 2011 if anything inappropriate ever occurred, he replied bluntly, 'Nothing at all. And that's what makes me so upset.' The Cascio family appeared on 'Oprah' in 2009 after Jackson's death to talk about their close bond with the star, how they exchanged Christmas presents and how he even recorded songs in their home studio. Cascio and his brothers insisted, 'never,' when asked if there had been any improprieties by host Oprah Winfrey. One of them explained, 'Michael was a target.' According to the petition, that narrative changed in 2019 after the release of HBO's controversial 'Leaving Neverland' documentary, which featured detailed claims of child abuse against Michael by two men, Wade Robson and James Safechuck. Advertisement After that aired, Cascio and his representatives approached the estate seeking a deal to sell personal materials and consult on projects. The estate claims that discussions soon turned into threats, with demands for large sums in exchange for not going public with the allegations. 9 Jackson at the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards in New York, held less than one week for the 9/11 terror attack. REUTERS 9 Michael Jackson and Elizabeth Taylor at a 30th Anniversary Celebration held for him at Madison Square Garden in New York. CPS/LFI Estate representatives described an unusual meeting at the Sunset Marquis Hotel pool in Los Angeles, where Cascio's camp insisted participants wear only bathing suits 'so that [Jackson's] representatives could not wear a wire to record the conversation.' In January 2020, the estate allegedly agreed to a confidential settlement to protect Jackson's family from further pain. The agreement included payments over five years, strict non-disparagement terms, and a clause requiring all disputes to be handled in private arbitration. However, in July 2024, Cascio's attorney allegedly demanded an additional $213 million, threatening to 'expand the circle of knowledge' to harm the estate's business dealings. According to the lawsuit, in August his lawyer warned that if no payment was made, they would share their claims with the buyer of Jackson's valuable music catalog, the estate claims. 9 Prince Jackson (left), Paris Jackson (center) and Bigi Jackson aka Blanket Jackson (right) at a red carpet opening in 2024. Alan Chapman/9 Michael Jackson with Frank Cascio in an undated picture. YouTube Advertisement 9 Michael Jackson at a press conference announcing his 'This Is It' London residency in 2009. However he died during rehearsals fro the concert series of acute Propofol intoxication. WireImage It is not clear what klind of claims Cascio was threatening to make against Jackson or the estate. When the estate refused, lawyers delivered draft lawsuits containing accusations directly contradicting Cascio's prior statements. The estate quickly initiated arbitration in September 2024, citing breach of contract and civil extortion. Executors say they won't be intimidated into paying. 'Attempts like this to tarnish Michael's memory for financial gain will not succeed,' Branca said. Advertisement Adding another twist, Cascio switched lawyers to Mark Geragos, who had previously defended Jackson on national TV and in his 2013 book 'Mistrial,' declaring Jackson '100 percent innocent.' The estate says Geragos reduced the demand to $44 million but threatened to file a public lawsuit alleging defamation and emotional distress. The petition asks the court to compel arbitration and block any lawsuit, citing the settlement's clause: 'The question of arbitrability is itself a question to be resolved finally by the arbitrator.' Efforts to reach Cascio and his attorney for comment were unsuccessful. Jackson is currently the world's highest grossing dead celebrity, with his estate selling half of the rights to his music catalogue to Sony in 2024 for $600 million.
