Web site offering art by Traficant ends sales

Two paintings were bought for much more than the requested low bid.
By DAVID SKOLNICK
VINDICATOR POLITICS WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Former U.S. Rep. James A. Traficant Jr.'s budding art career has apparently come to an end.
A message on a Web site -- beammeupart.com -- that is selling art work purportedly done by Traficant states the imprisoned congressman is no longer permitted to take part in workshop activities in prison and therefore he won't produce any new paintings.
Traficant has spent the past year at the Federal Medical Center in Rochester, Minn., with an undisclosed medical condition.
"The vast amount of publicity attributed to our [Web site and eBay] offerings has triggered the Authorities to further restrict his freedom and his ability to express his creativity," the message states.
An artist from Schuyler Falls, N.Y., and a friend operate the Web site, which offers paintings, primarily of horses, purportedly done by Traficant.
The artist, Sybille -- who asked that her last name not be used -- and her friend, Jane Moore, couldn't be reached Monday to comment.
Sales on eBay
The Web site states that 10 of the paintings have already been sold.
The notice on the Web site said no more sales will be made through the site, but paintings are still for sale on eBay.
There were six paintings for sale on eBay -- a Web site where people can buy or sell items primarily by bidding -- with a Monday bidding deadline for two of them.
An eBay bidder, who uses mauleskyrocket as his or her eBay name, was the high bidder on the two paintings.
Mauleskyrocket bought a brown horse painting for $1,825. The starting bid was $100. The eBay bidder was also the highest on a painting of a yellow barn house at $2,001; the starting bid on that painting was $50.
Mauleskyrocket was also the highest bidder as of Monday evening on three of the four other paintings. The bids for the four paintings, which started at $50 or $100, ranged from $433 to $960. The bid deadlines for three of the four paintings is late Wednesday, and it's early Thursday for the other one.
Traficant, 63, was convicted in 2002 of racketeering, bribery and tax evasion, and began serving his sentence that year. The nine-term congressman was expelled from the U.S. House in 2002 after he refused to resign when he was convicted.
The Web site states that Traficant began painting in January 2005 at the Minnesota facility, and paints on canvas, paper, prison cardboard and Formica. Traficant, who used to own a farm and raise Saddlebred horses in Greenford, painted horses and landscapes, according to the Web site.
Most of the proceeds from the sales were to be donated to Traficant to buy more art materials, the Web site states.
Prison rules
U.S. Bureau of Prisons officials couldn't be reached Monday to comment, but a spokesman has previously said that inmates are permitted to paint but are not allowed to operate a business.
Also, Traficant can't sell his paintings but could ship them to a family member, who could then sell them and return the money to the ex-congressman's prison commissary account.
The two women selling the paintings aren't related to Traficant.
skolnick@vindy.com