TRAFICANT'S CAREER As time passes, successes are seen

'Free Traficant' apparel and 'housewares' are sold online.
By DAVID SKOLNICK
and PATRICIA MEADE
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITERS
YOUNGSTOWN -- Two years ago today, ex-U.S. Rep. James A. Traficant Jr. left federal court in Cleveland in handcuffs to begin serving an eight-year prison sentence.
Apparently the clich & eacute; that absence makes the heart grow fonder is true.
"I think if Jim Traficant got out of jail tomorrow, he'd still be a strong candidate," said Paul Sracic, a Youngstown State University political science professor.
"If he won on an appeal or was getting a pardon -- and neither will happen -- and he was a candidate, he'd do well," he said.
Traficant, 63, of Poland, is incarcerated at the Federal Correctional Institution in Ray Brook, N.Y., a small town between Saranac Lake and Lake Placid, site of the 1980 Winter Olympics.
Originally built as housing for Olympic athletes, the facility is now a medium-security prison, holding two prisoners to a cell.
"The further away you get from a conviction, the less people remember it," Sracic said.
On April 11, 2002, a jury found Traficant guilty of all 10 counts in his indictment. He took kickbacks from staffers, cheated on his taxes, used his congressional office to aid contractors and businessmen while extorting cash, goods and services from them, and obstructed justice.
Anthony Traficanti, who served as Traficant's regional director and then chief of staff of the 17th Congressional District after the congressman was expelled, said the name of his former boss comes up frequently on the campaign trail.
"I've had people come up to me asking to thank him for all the wonderful projects that are coming to fruition in the Valley," said Traficanti, who is running for a Mahoning County commissioner seat in November as a Democrat.
Recent events
Traficanti doesn't speak to Traficant, and the last contact he had with his former boss is a Christmas card he received last December.
Paul Marcone, Traficant's longtime chief of staff in Washington, D.C., said he wrote to his former boss earlier this year but didn't receive a reply.
The pro-Traficant talk has picked up in recent months because of the groundbreaking of the downtown Youngstown convocation center and the uncertainty about the future of the Youngstown Air Reserve Station, Traficanti said.
Traficant obtained $26.8 million in federal funds to build the center and brought about $30 million in federal money to the air base and the nearby Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport.
"I've had more positives about him than negatives," Traficanti said. "People are thinking of him in a positive light. As time goes by, when his name comes up, it's been positive."
U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan of Niles, D-17th, who beat an imprisoned Traficant in the 2002 general election and used to work for the ex-congressman, said he hardly ever hears Traficant's name on Capitol Hill.
"This is a funny business," he said. "They love you as long as you've got the title. You get a lot of new friends when you've got the title, and then when it's over, you lose most of those new friends."
Some problems
Traficant's time as a federal inmate hasn't been smooth.
In March, he was moved to Ray Brook from the Federal Correctional Institution at Allenwood in White Deer, Pa., a low- to medium-security facility. While at Allenwood, he was disciplined, including being placed in lock-down isolation because he refused to work in the kitchen.
In December 2003, his projected release from federal prison was extended by 24 days, meaning the ex-congressman's behavior failed to earn him "good time." His projected release is Aug. 10, 2009. It had been July 17, 2009.
Prison officials did not reveal why he was relocated and his release date pushed back. Traficant hasn't granted an interview to the press since his incarceration.
Traficant, like all inmates, is required to work 7 1/2 hours a day. Ray Brook has a clothing-textile factory, and the garments made are sold to federal agencies. The Bureau of Prisons won't say what type of work he's doing.
Paying down his fine
His prison earnings go toward what he owes the government.
Each month, the government takes $770 from Traficant's federal pension and $50 from his prison-work earnings and applies the money toward his $150,000 fine. He has an annual federal pension of roughly $40,000, which kicked in May 8, 2003, when he turned 62.
Court records show that, through July 1, Traficant has paid $22,381.50 toward his fine. The balance is $127,618.50.
For those who want Traficant out of jail and want to express their feelings, the Web site www.freetraficant.com offers apparel and "housewares" with his image -- from T-shirts and boxer shorts to coffee mugs and mouse pads, many bearing the phrase "Free Traficant." Cafepress, based in California, handles the orders but won't reveal who profits from the sales.
Found in tiny print at the bottom of the freetraficant.com home page is this notation: "No money made from the selling of items on freetraficant.com is going towards any fund for Traficant. We think he knows how to get his own money, if you know what we mean 'wink-wink.' It will be used to keep this site and his memory alive while he serves his 8-year prison term."
The Web site isn't exactly up to date. It still shows Traficant's address as the federal prison in Pennsylvania.
skolnick@vindy.commeade@vindy.com