Published January 13, 2015
The political life of Rep. James Traficant, D-Ohio:
-- 1980: Elected sheriff of Mahoning County, Ohio. Gains national attention for refusing to enforce foreclosure orders on homes of unemployed steelworkers.
-- 1983: Acquitted of federal bribery and tax evasion charges, defending himself without a lawyer at trial and arguing that he took money from mobsters to overlook gambling, loan-sharking, drug trafficking and prostitution as part of a one-man sting operation.
-- 1984: Elected to the House.
-- 1987: U.S. Tax Court rules he owes $108,000 in taxes for the $163,000 he accepted from mobsters in 1980. Traficant's paychecks are garnisheed by the Internal Revenue Service.
-- 2000: Announces during his re-election campaign that he has turned over telephone, rent and payroll records to investigators in a federal corruption probe. Elected to ninth term.
-- 2001: Votes to re-elect Republican Dennis Hastert as House speaker, angering fellow Democrats, who then strip him of committee assignments.
-- May 2001: Pleads innocent to 10-count federal indictment that includes charges of bribery, conspiracy and racketeering.
-- January 2002: Ohio's Republican-controlled legislature eliminates Traficant's Youngstown-area district to reflect population shift. He later pledges to campaign as an independent in newly drawn district.
-- Feb. 5: Trial begins in U.S. District Court in Cleveland.
-- April 11: Traficant convicted of all counts. House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt, D-Mo., calls for his immediate resignation and the House ethics committee announces it will meet to consider the charges.
-- April 16: House Judiciary Committee Chairman James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., and Rep. Loretta Sanchez, D-Calif., offer resolutions to expel Traficant. Neither required an immediate consideration.
-- April 17: House ethics committee designates four lawmakers to conduct an inquiry into whether Traficant violated House rules.
-- April 22: Traficant files an appeal in federal court in Cleveland asking for the verdict to be overturned and a new trial convened because of judicial misconduct.
-- May 6: Traficant files for re-election in Ohio's 17th District as an independent.
-- June 25: A federal judge rejects Traficant's request for a new trial.
-- June 27: House ethics panel issues a 10-count list of alleged violations of House rules committed by Traficant.
-- July 15: House ethics panel begins hearing into whether Traficant is guilty of the 10 violations of House rules.
-- July 18: House ethics panel unanimously decides to recommend that Traficant be expelled for nine House rule violations. Committee dismisses 10th count alleging a pattern of misconduct.
-- July 24: House votes 420-1 to expel Traficant.
-- July 30: Sentencing hearing scheduled in U.S. District Court in Cleveland. Prosecutors have recommended that Traficant serve at least 7 years in prison.
https://www.foxnews.com/story/timeline-of-traficants-political-life