James Traficant

Jim Traficant
Traficant's official congressional portrait, 1997
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Ohio's 17th district
In office January 3, 1985 – July 24, 2002
Preceded by	Lyle Williams
Succeeded by	Tim Ryan
Sheriff of Mahoning County
In office 1981–1984
Preceded by	George D. Tablack
Succeeded by	Edward Nemeth
Personal details
Born	James Anthony Traficant Jr. (1941-05-08)May 8, 1941 Youngstown, Ohio, U.S.
Died	September 27, 2014(2014-09-27) (aged 73) Poland, Ohio, U.S.
Political party	Democratic (until 2002)
Other political affiliations	Independent (from 2002)
Spouse	Tish Choppa
Education	University of Pittsburgh (BS, MS) Youngstown State University (MS)
James Traficant's voice Traficant speaks on the importance of water resource projects Recorded September 26, 1996

James Anthony Traficant Jr. (/ˈtræfɪkənt/ TRAF-ih-kənt; May 8, 1941 – September 27, 2014) was an American politician who served as a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio. A staunch economic populist known for his flamboyant personality,^[1] he represented the 17th congressional district, which centered on his hometown of Youngstown and included parts of three counties in northeast Ohio's Mahoning Valley.

Traficant was expelled from the House on July 24, 2002, after being convicted of ten felony counts, including taking bribes, filing false tax returns, racketeering, and forcing his congressional staff to perform chores at his farm in Ohio and houseboat in Washington, D.C.^[2] He was sentenced to prison and released on September 2, 2009, after serving a seven-year sentence. Traficant died on September 27, 2014, following a tractor accident at his farm in Green Township, Ohio.