U.S. seeks Traficant pension to pay fine

Traficant will get nearly $1.2 million in federal pension payments over the course of his lifetime.

YOUNGSTOWN — A federal prosecutor wants to tap into James A. Traficant Jr.’s state pension to satisfy what the imprisoned ex-congressman still owes on a court fine, but the state argues the pension is exempt.

Traficant, 66, was convicted of racketeering, bribery, obstruction of justice and tax evasion in 2002 and is serving an eight-year prison term at the Federal Medical Center in Rochester, Minn. His projected release is Sept. 2, 2009.

He still owes $105,059 of the $150,000 fine imposed at sentencing, the government said. The fine is the cost of his incarceration, $1,848 per month, with a $150,000 cap.

Richard J. French, an assistant U.S. attorney, filed an application last month in Cleveland federal court to obtain money from the Ohio Public Employee Retirement System.

An attorney from Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann’s office has filed a response, claiming the funds are exempt from garnishment. The case is assigned to U.S. District Judge Lesley Wells, who presided over Traficant’s trial.

Traficant, who once represented the 17th Congressional District and receives a federal pension, also earned a state pension based on his years employed by Mahoning County. According to Vindicator files, Traficant’s state retirement pension is roughly $11,000 annually. He served 11 years as director of the Mahoning County Drug Program and four years as Mahoning County sheriff.

Not long after his trial, the National Taxpayers Union, a nonpartisan group in Washington, estimated that Traficant will get nearly $1.2 million in federal pension payments over the course of his lifetime. Less than 20 percent of that will come from contributions Traficant paid into his retirement account during his nine terms in Congress. The rest will be paid by taxpayers.

The House of Representatives expelled Traficant on July 24, 2002. He began serving his prison sentence July 30, 2002.

County records, meanwhile, show that Traficant’s home in Poland, worth about $200,000, is in his wife, Tish’s, name. His farm in Greenford, worth about $175,000, is in his daughter, Elizabeth’s, name. A vacant lot is the only property in his name, records show.

When Traficant is released from prison and begins serving three years of supervised release, he must provide his probation officer with any requested financial information. He also must pay any remaining unpaid financial penalty imposed by the judge and $19,580 in unpaid taxes.

The jury that found Traficant guilty also determined in the racketeering count that he owed $96,000 derived from a staffer’s kickbacks, cash bribes, gifts and services.