WASHINGTON — Former U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., holding back tears, entered a guilty plea Wednesday in federal court to criminal charges that he engaged in a scheme to spend $750,000 in campaign funds on personal items. He faces 46-57 months in prison under a plea deal with prosecutors.

Before entering the plea to the conspiracy charge, Jackson told U.S. District Judge Robert Wilkins, “I’ve never been more clear in my life” in his decision to plead guilty.

Later, when Wilkins asked if Jackson committed the acts outlined in court papers, the former congressman replied, “I did these things.” He added later, “Sir, for years I lived in my campaign,” and used money from the campaign for personal use.

Jackson told the judge that he was waiving his right to trial.

“In perfect candor, your honor, I have no interest in wasting the taxpayers’ time or money,” he said.

Sentencing is scheduled for June 28, and Wilkins is not bound by the plea agreement. Jackson is free until then.

Since last June, Jackson has been hospitalized twice at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., for treatment of bipolar disorder and other issues, and he stayed out of the public eye for months, even during the November elections. His attorney said after the court appearance that Jackson’s health is “not an excuse” for his actions, “just a fact.”

Jackson entered the courtroom holding hands with his wife, Sandra, and surveyed the packed room. He kissed his wife and headed to the defense table. She is expected toplead guilty to a charge of filing false joint federal income tax returns for the years 2006-11 that knowingly understated the income that the couple received.

Jackson’s father, civil-rights leader Jesse Jackson, sat in the front row. Before the hearing started, he wrote notes on a small piece of paper. When the proceedings started, he sat still and expressionless, hands folded. Several other family members also attended.

Jackson Jr. answered a series of questions from the judge, mostly in a muffledtone. When the judge asked if he had consumed any drugs or alcohol in the previous 24 hours, Jackson said he had a beer Tuesday night.

As the proceedings wound up, Jackson sat at the defense table, furrowed his brow and shook his head, in what looked like an expression of disbelief. After the hearing adjourned, he walked over to his wife, grabbed her hand, and then was greeted by his father. The younger Jackson patted his father on the back a few times.

“Tell everybody back home I’m sorry I let them down, OK?” Jackson Jr. told the Chicago Sun-Times Washington bureau chief Lynn Sweet, according to her Tweet from the scene.

Jackson Jr., 47, used campaign money to buy items that included a $43,350 men’s Rolex watch and $9,587.64 worth of children’s furniture, according to court papers filed in the case. His wife spent $5,150 on fur capes and parkas, the court documents said.

Prosecutors said that upon conviction he must forfeit $750,000, plus tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of memorabilia items and furs.

More details emerged in a 22-page statement compiled by prosecutors, filed Wednesday, in which Jackson Jr. admitted that he and his wife used campaign credit cards to buy 3,100 personal items worth $582,772.58 from 2005 through April of last year. Personal expenditures at restaurants, nightclubs and lounges cost $60,857.04. Personal expenditures at sports clubs and lounges cost $16,058.91, including maintaining a family membership at a gym. Personal spending for alcohol cost $5,814.43. Personal spending for dry cleaning cost $14,513.42.

The charge against Sandra Jackson carries a maximum of three years in prison. However, one of her lawyers, Tom Kirsch, said the plea agreement “does not contemplate a sentence of that length.” Sandra Jackson was a Chicago alderman before she resigned last month during the federal investigation.

One of Jackson Jr.’s lawyers, Reid Weingarten, said after the hearing that there’s reason for optimism.

“A man that talented, a man that devoted to public service, a man who’s done so muchfor so many, has another day. There will be another chapter in Jesse Jackson’s life,” he said.

Front Section, Pages 2 on 02/21/2013