Former Ohio congressman Traficant critical after farm accident: police

By Kim Palmer
Democratic U.S. Rep. James Traficant (D-OH), a former sheriff turned convicted felon, steps out of his Capitol Hill office July 24, 2002 to speak to members of the press prior to a scheduled speech before the House of Representatives to defend himself from expulsion from Congress.

By Kim Palmer CLEVELAND (Reuters) - Former U.S. congressman James Traficant of Ohio, who served seven years in prison for bribery, tax evasion and other crimes, was hospitalized in critical condition on Wednesday after a tractor he was riding rolled over on him, police said. The accident happened just before 8 p.m. Tuesday and Traficant, 73, was taken to St. Elizabeth Health Center in Youngstown, said Goshen Township Police Chief Steven T. McDaniel. Traficant lost control of his 1948 Ford tractor in his barn and struck a large steel blade, which caused the tractor to roll over and pin him underneath, McDaniel said in a statement. Traficant, a former sheriff from the gritty industrial city of Youngstown, had a reputation as a maverick when he served in the House of Representatives from 1985 through 2002. He was convicted in April 2002 of racketeering, bribery, obstruction of justice and tax evasion. Prosecutors said he made his congressional staff give him a portion of their paychecks and do chores on his farm and boat, while also taking bribes and favors from businessmen. The House then voted nearly unanimously to expel him, the second such expulsion since the Civil War. (Reporting by Fiona Ortiz and Kim Palmer; Editing by Bill Trott and Mary Wisniewski)