Powerboss
04-11-2002, 06:52 PM
Ohio Rep. Traficant Found Guilty of Bribery
April 11, 2002 04:57 PM ET
CLEVELAND (Reuters) - A jury on Thursday found colorful Ohio Rep. James Traficant guilty on bribery, corruption and racketeering charges following a raucous trial.
The boisterous nine-term congressman, known for his signature sign-off "beam me up!" to conclude his ramblings on the floor of the House of Representatives, was accused of running his office as a racketeering enterprise.
Traficant, 60, could face up to 63 years in prison and possible ouster from Congress by his colleagues, though that has only happened once since the U.S. Civil War.
The jury, which deliberated for nearly four days, found Traficant guilty of demanding kickbacks from the salaries of some of his congressional staffers, accepting bribes for lobbying and using staff members to perform menial work on his horse farm.
Traficant, who represented himself through the nine-week trial though he is not a lawyer, repeatedly clashed with U.S. District Judge Lesley Wells on procedural issues and accused the government of conducting a baseless vendetta against him.
April 11, 2002 04:57 PM ET
CLEVELAND (Reuters) - A jury on Thursday found colorful Ohio Rep. James Traficant guilty on bribery, corruption and racketeering charges following a raucous trial.
The boisterous nine-term congressman, known for his signature sign-off "beam me up!" to conclude his ramblings on the floor of the House of Representatives, was accused of running his office as a racketeering enterprise.
Traficant, 60, could face up to 63 years in prison and possible ouster from Congress by his colleagues, though that has only happened once since the U.S. Civil War.
The jury, which deliberated for nearly four days, found Traficant guilty of demanding kickbacks from the salaries of some of his congressional staffers, accepting bribes for lobbying and using staff members to perform menial work on his horse farm.
Traficant, who represented himself through the nine-week trial though he is not a lawyer, repeatedly clashed with U.S. District Judge Lesley Wells on procedural issues and accused the government of conducting a baseless vendetta against him.