Supreme Court Lets Stand Ex-Congressman's Conviction

reuters ^ | 1/10/05 | staff

[pissant]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - James Traficant, a flamboyant former congressman, lost an appeal on Monday seeking U.S. Supreme Court (news - web sites) review of his conviction on corruption charges and of his eight-year prison sentence.

Reuters Photo

Traficant, a Democrat from Ohio and a member of the House of Representatives from 1985 until his expulsion in 2002, urged the court to hear the appeal "to remedy the constitutional violations that undermine his conviction and sentence."

Traficant, who represented a district based in Youngstown, was known for using the phrase "beam me up" during his colorful and controversial one-minute daily speeches from the House floor.

In appealing to the Supreme Court, Traficant's lawyers argued that he had been tried twice for the same crimes -- once by federal prosecutors and a second time by the House Ethics Committee. They also said the way the jury had been selected at his trial gave an unfair advantage to prosecutors.

The Supreme Court rejected Traficant's appeal without comment. A federal appeals court last year upheld his conviction.

Traficant was convicted in 2002 for bribery, obstruction of justice, conspiracy, filing false tax returns and violating the racketeering law. He was found guilty of taking kickbacks and favors from businessmen and staff members.

[pissant]

Beam me up Scotty, this guy is still my favorite Dem (behind Zell). Despite his shananigans, he's still the least corrupt dem congressman in the country. Help support your local rug manufacturer - FREE TRAFICANT

[HMFIC]

Torrecelli and Klintoon should've been sharing his cell.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Man...that's some bad toup !

[John Jorsett]

[b4its2late]

Despite his shananigans, he's still the least corrupt dem congressman in the country.

True.

[b4its2late]

LOL! There's the old pictures we all grew to love.... ROTFLMAO!!

[gdani]

....he's still the least corrupt dem congressman in the country

Of course, he's no longer in Congress.

And he's plenty corrupt. Unless you think he really was engaging in a one-man sting operation against the mob in Youngstown when he was Sheriff & got busted with all that cash.

[CORedneck]

I have to admit, Traficant would be the only democrat I would vote for mainly due to his independent thinking and not going along with the status quo.

[djf]

The thing I always liked about him was he was always outspoken... against government corruption. It wasn't his style to take the podium and beg for new ways to keep the citizens in tow.

[pissant]

all true. I still stand by my analysis.