Former Rep. Traficant Leaves Prison After Seven Years
By Mary Jordan
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, September 2, 2009; 2:54 PM

James A. Traficant, the Ohio Democrat who was expelled from Congress after being found guilty of bribery and racketeering, walked out of prison in Minnesota on Wednesday, after serving seven years behind bars.

Traficant, 68, an eccentric former sheriff, hailed a taxi and did not answer reporters' questions as he left the prison alone. He wore a T-shirt, shorts and knee-high white socks and carried some of his belongings in a plastic bag.

Linda Kovachik, a close friend who has kept in touch with him, said Traficant was planning some quiet time with his wife, Tish, and children and grandchildren and had not yet made plans about what he might do next.

On Sunday, 1,000 of his supporters are planning a welcome-home dinner for him in Youngstown, Ohio. He still has strong supporters there despite his felony conviction, and hundreds of people have bought "Welcome Home Jimbo" T-shirts.

In 2002, in a trial in which Traficant represented himself, he was convicted of 10 felony counts, including accepting bribes from businessmen and taking kickbacks from his own congressional staff. He was the second House member since the Civil War to be voted out for unethical behavior.

Traficant often make "Star Trek" references, and signed off on the House floor by saying, "Beam me up."