Former Rep. James Traficant, the Ohio politician whose career included 17 years in Congress and a conviction for bribery, has died at age 73. Traficant's family had been fearing for his life since earlier this week, when he was critically injured in a tractor accident.

Traficant's death comes years after he attempted a political comeback, filing to run for his old seat in 2010 as an independent in Ohio's 17^th District. He had been kicked out of Congress in July of 2002, after being convicted on charges that included racketeering, bribery and tax evasion.

"A spokeswoman for the family of James A. Traficant Jr. confirmed that the former congressman died today at St. Elizabeth Health Center," reports Ohio's Youngstown Vindicator. The newspaper says the former congressman's death was announced in a brief text message from spokeswoman Heidi Hanni, which read, "Traficant dead."

More Here: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/09/27/352038901/ohios-jame...