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(Photo: AP)
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James Traficant was an Ohio Democrat who served nine terms in the House of Representatives.
A maverick known for his denim suits, bellbottoms, cowboy boots, untamed hairdo and raucous speeches, Traficant was expelled from the House in July 2002, after being found guilty of accepting cash bribes and other kickbacks. He was also found guilty of requiring his staff members to do chores for him. He gave a rousing defense on the House floor, arguing that there was no physical evidence against him, accusing the judge in his criminal trial of corruption and claiming that government prosecutors had it out for him. Despite his efforts, the vote to expel him was 420-1.
After Traficant was kicked out of the House, he faced sentencing for the 10 counts of bribery, tax evasion and racketeering he was found guilty of. Even though he had no legal training, he had defended himself throughout the trial, but finally hired lawyers for the sentencing. He was sentenced to eight years in prison, which was more then prosecutors had been pursuing.
U.S. District Judge Lesley Wells gave Traficant a longer sentence because she said Traficant had no respect for the government, and that he used lies to distract attention from the charges against him. She also said he abused the public's trust, reduced public confidence in government, obstructed justice and took a leadership role in recruiting people to further his scheme. Wells added that Traficant believed he was above the law.
Traficant responded by accusing Wells of aiding the prosecution and complaining that he wasn't allowed to argue during the trial that the government had a vendetta against him. Traficant had claimed the vendetta ever since he defeated the FBI in a 1983 bribery case.
It was revealed that Traficant's much-debated hair was actually a toupee after he had to take it off while being admitted into prison.
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