Washington ( CNN ) -- The insistence that former Sen. John Edwards serve some jail time over allegations he broke campaign finance laws caused a collapse in plea negotiations between lawyers for the former presidential candidate and the Justice Department last week . Edwards wanted to have as `` minimal '' impact on his two younger kids as possible , a source with knowledge of the talks confirmed to CNN Sunday . Edwards has a 10-year-old son and a 12-year-old daughter . The Raleigh News and Observer , which first reported the story , said the Justice Department was insisting that Edwards serve six months in jail if he pleaded guilty . After initially saying Edwards had to agree to plead guilty to a felony in earlier discussions , CNN is told prosecutors last week offered for him instead to plead guilty to some misdemeanors . But the jail time was the breaking point . `` He did not want to have an extended period of time away from his kids , '' said the source , who would not speak on the record because the details of the plea discussions have not been made public . After the breakdown in negotiations , a grand jury indicted Edwards , a former Democratic vice presidential nominee , on six felony counts . In court on Friday , Edwards pleaded not guilty . `` I will regret for the rest of my life the pain and the harm that I 've caused to others . But I did not break the law . And I never , ever thought I was breaking the law , '' he told reporters outside the federal courthouse in Winston-Salem , North Carolina . The News and Observer also reported that Edwards ' lawyers were not confident they would be allowed to urge a judge to consider alternatives for incarceration such as a halfway house , weekend passes or home arrest in order to give him more time with his children . After the death of his wife , Elizabeth , Edwards is the primary caregiver for the two younger children .
John Edwards insisted on `` minimal '' impact on his youngest kids , source says . Justice Department wanted six months ' jail time , newspaper reports . Ex-candidate indicted on charges of breaking campaign finance laws .