Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.), a subject in the federal investigation tied to a pay-to-play scheme allegedly orchestrated by ex-Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D), doled out $29,000 in legal fees from his campaign coffers in the first months of 2010, according to his latest report with the Federal Election Commission.

Those payments, made to D.C.-based Brand Law Group, bring the Illinois lawmaker’s legal bills to nearly $255,000 since December 2008.

Jackson has previously reported payments to Chicago-based attorney James Montgomery and the law firm Steptoe & Johnson.

The Committee on Standards of Official Conduct, commonly known as the House ethics committee, announced in September that it would hold off its investigation of Jackson in deference to an ongoing Justice Department probe.

Jackson, who has denied wrongdoing, is identified as “Senate Candidate Number Five” in the Justice Department’s investigation of the then-Illinois governor. Blagojevich, who has since been impeached and removed from office, is accused of trying to sell President Barack Obama’s Senate seat to the highest bidder.