Traficant wants own voters on jury

Associated Press

CLEVELAND – Rep. James Traficant Jr. complained Wednesday that the pool of potential jurors for his federal bribery trial excluded people from his home district in northeastern Ohio.

Traficant, who is representing himself in the trial though he has no law degree, said keeping out jurors from his hometown of Youngstown would give prosecutors an unfair advantage. U.S. District Judge Lesley Wells ruled last month that the jurors will come from the Cleveland area, where the federal courthouse is located.

“I’m not being tried by a jury of my peers,” Traficant, 60, told reporters as he entered the courthouse.

Wells denied Traficant’s request to expand the jury pool, and she adjourned the trial until Friday so Traficant and prosecutors could review the 45-page questionnaires being answered by 100 prospective jurors.

The nine-term Democratic congressman is a popular folk hero in Youngstown, known for his polyester suits, arm-waving theatrics and crusades against the Internal Revenue Service. Though his popularity has declined in recent years, he was re-elected in 2000 even after he publicly predicted he would face federal corruption charges.

Prosecutors accuse Traficant of accepting gifts and favors in exchange for lobbying in Washington, D.C. He is also charged with forcing his staff to make cash kickbacks to him or do favors for him at his horse farm.

The 10 charges of racketeering, bribery and other offenses carry up to 63 years in prison and $2.2 million in fines.

On Tuesday, the judge warned Traficant he would be held to the same standards of conduct as any lawyer during the trial – even though he is not a lawyer. Prosecutors have complained that Traficant’s interviews on Monday and Tuesday on CNN and ABC were intended to influence potential jurors.

“This trial is not going to be a donnybrook,” the judge said, using a term Traficant himself had used.

It is the second time that Traficant has defended himself against criminal charges. He was acquitted in 1983 on charges he took $163,000 in bribes from mobsters and filed a false income tax return while serving as a sheriff.