The FBI is conducting an investigation into an alleged decades-old
Mafia connection between a veteran Ohio congressman and reputed mob
figures from his home district near Youngstown, Ohio.
The
New Republic, in its July 10 issue, reports that the Justice Department is nearing the end of a 6-year investigation into alleged ties between Youngstown mob figures and Rep. James Traficant, D-Ohio — ties which, the magazine said, could lead to the congressman’s indictment on corruption charges.
“Beam me up, Mr. Speaker.” — Rep. James Traficant, D-Ohio |
The report said two competing elements of the Mafia — one from Cleveland and the other from Pittsburgh — may have helped Traficant win a local sheriff’s race in 1980.
Quoting from tapes reportedly made via FBI wiretaps, the magazine said Traficant was heard admitting he had accepted $163,000 in contributions from both factions while plotting with the Cleveland faction to help its leaders eliminate the influence of the Pittsburgh mob.
The FBI confronted Traficant with the audiotapes, the magazine said, adding that initially Traficant agreed to cooperate in the agency’s attempt to crack down on mob corruption.
The magazine said Traficant gave a sworn statement, in front of witnesses, that read: “During the period of time that I campaigned for sheriff of Mahoning County, Ohio, I accepted money … with the understanding that certain illegal activities would be allowed to take place in Mahoning County [Ohio] after my election and that as sheriff I would not interfere with those activities.”
But the FBI claimed Traficant recanted his confession “several weeks later,” after “learning that he would likely have to resign as sheriff and that the reason for his resignation would become public,” the magazine said.
The FBI arrested him in 1982.
The Justice Department charged Traficant with “allegedly taking $163,000 in bribes from the mob and for willfully and knowingly ‘combin[ing], conspir[ing], confederat[ing], and agree[ing]’ with racketeers to commit crimes against the United States,” the magazine said. If convicted, Traficant would have faced 23 years in prison.
However, Traficant — who defended himself during his trial — won an acquittal from a local jury.
Traficant told jurors that though his voice was on FBI audio surveillance tapes, the agency had doctored them to incriminate him. The magazine said Traficant told jurors he was not corrupt, that he was “playing” both factions of the mob in a secret sting of his own making, in an effort to cleanse “the most corrupt county in the country.” He said he accepted the money only because he wanted to give mob figures the illusion that he was going along.
Traficant, who is known for his fiery one-minute floor speeches ending with the phrase, “Beam me up, Mr. Speaker,” was first elected to Congress in 1985. The magazine said that rather than hurt his reputation, the charges of corruption — a “ritual” in Youngstown — bolstered his popularity instead, leading him to eight straight terms as an Ohio congressman.
Now, after nearly two decades and “more than 70 convictions,” a new FBI probe of Traficant’s alleged mob connections “has already led to convictions against” a former Traficant aide — also with alleged Mafia ties — “a disbarred attorney who had advised him for several years, and a former deputy in his sheriff’s office,” said the New Republic.
And Traficant admits he may be next.
The magazine cited earlier news reports in the Youngstown Vindicator newspaper and the Cleveland Plain Dealer that said, “investigators are [now] looking into, among other things, whether the congressman received illegal contributions — including the use of a Corvette — from associates in the valley.”
Neither the FBI nor Traficant has discussed the specifics of the case, but for his part, Traficant — who has vehemently proclaimed his innocence throughout — has vowed to fight the charges, the magazine said, and has threatened to leave the Democratic Party unless party leaders rally to his aid.
Ironically, Traficant, who is probably the House of Representatives’ most vocal Democrat when it comes to condemning corruption in the Clinton administration, at the last minute changed his tune and voted against the impeachment of President Clinton.
As
reported in WorldNetDaily, during the lead-up to the impeachment, Traficant seemed to lead the impeachment charge in one of his famous floor speeches:
“If Joe Q. citizen lied in a civil trial, he would be sued for every penny. If Joe Q. Citizen lied to a grand jury, he would go to jail. Lying is perjury. Perjury is a crime. Now, having said that, what is going on here, Mr. Speaker? Does America now have two legal standards, one for you, one for me; one for he, one for she; one for generals, one for soldiers; one for presidents, one for residents? Let us tell it like it is. Joe Q. Citizen cannot apologize, Joe Q. Citizen is not censured, Joe Q. Citizen is prosecuted. And let me warn Congress: An America with two legal standards is an America with no legal standards.”
And yet, when the vote finally came on launching a wide-ranging impeachment inquiry, Traficant shocked many by voting against it.
News of Traficant’s possible indictment comes at the same time as Justice Department investigators announced they would seek an
indictment against a major figure in the Clinton-Gore
campaign-finance scandal, Lippo Group chief James Riady, on probable charges of money laundering and conspiracy.
A WorldNetDaily exclusive story three weeks ago reported the imminent indictment of Riady. In “Riady a target of Justice probe?” WND reported that, according to knowledgeable sources, redacted (blacked-out) portions of both the
Freeh and LaBella memos referred to James Riady, and that the Indonesian billionaire was a target of the campaign-finance task force.
Indeed, the Justice Department’s campaign-finance task force has now agreed to seek a criminal indictment against Riady for contributing $1 million from foreign sources to the 1992 Clinton-Gore presidential campaign.
Concurrent with these revelations, Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr’s former spokesman,
Charles Bakaly, has been charged with
criminal contempt. According to court documents, Bakaly faces trial over statements he made in connection with investigations into alleged leaks from the special prosecutor’s office in the Monica Lewinsky case. Although Bakaly was reportedly accused by his own office of participating in a news leak in January 1999, Bakaly has denied the allegation.
See the entire New Republic story on Rep. James Traficant,
“The
city that fell in love with the mob.” Warning: Article contains obscene
language.
Read Joseph Farah’s commentary on Traficant:
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WND Staff