Prison term is ending for ex-Ohio lawmaker

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - Renegade former Rep. James A. Traficant Jr., who delighted in

Star Trek

references and polyester suits, is to be released tomorrow from a federal prison after serving seven years for corruption.

The longtime Democratic lawmaker, now 68, will return to a hometown that has ample evidence of the federal aid he landed, including a highway, second federal courthouse, and an arena.

Traficant is to be released from the Federal Medical Center in Rochester, Minn., where he was transferred in 2004. Prison officials said they would announce his release only after he has left.

His three years of probation will include a requirement to report regularly to a probation officer, be subject to unannounced home visits, and get permission before traveling outside northern Ohio. Traficant has not indicated whether he plans to work or retire, chief probation officer Greg Johnson said.

His conviction would not bar Traficant from running again for Congress, U.S. Attorney Bill Edwards said. Traficant ran for reelection from prison, losing to U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan.

Traficant, whose wild hair contributed to an offbeat image, was convicted in a raucous trial in 2002 of bribery and racketeering for accepting bribes from businessmen and taking kickbacks from staff members.

He then was expelled from Congress, only the second House member since the Civil War to be ousted for unethical conduct.

Organizers of a welcoming party don't know if Traficant will attend but have sold 1,000 $20 tickets for a bash. Their suggested dress code: skinny ties, denim suits, and bell-bottom pants - all part of his style.

Traficant still has a following in the economically depressed Youngstown area, where the disappearance of steel-industry jobs in the 1980s fueled his career when, as sheriff, he refused to foreclose on homes of laid-off workers.

His brash style appealed to a hard-luck community struggling to reinvent itself and fill vacant downtown storefronts.

Although he is not a lawyer, the nine-term congressman defended himself at his trial. His self-defense led to frequent clashes with the judge over what questions might be asked and how.

When the judge checked in advance on what defense witnesses might testify, to avoid secondhand hearsay testimony, a frustrated Traficant said, "You can put me in jail."

His courtroom antics reflected the defiant attitude he displayed on the House floor, where his frustration-filled one-minute speeches were typically punctuated with the Star Trek comment "Beam me up."

Democratic supporter Julie Buggs, 61, said she hoped he spent his prison time contemplating his crimes and hoped he had become a humble person. "He's had a lot of time to think about life," she said.

Former Louisiana Rep. William J. Jefferson, convicted of corruption after federal agents found cash in his freezer, has filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy liquidation.

The bankruptcy petition filed last week by Jefferson and his wife, Andrea, says they owe between $1 million and $10 million to fewer than 50 creditors. The filing lists estimated assets

as between $1 million and $10 million.

In Chapter 7 liquidation,

a debtor's property is sold and proceeds are distributed to creditors. Some property may be exempted from the sale.

Jefferson was convicted Aug. 5 on 11 of 16 federal counts for using his influence to broker business deals in Africa. A jury in Virginia also ruled Jefferson must forfeit roughly $470,000 in bribery receipts.

- Associated Press

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