Expelled Congressman Traficant Finds New Expression with Art

From 1985 to 2002, James Traficant Jr. represented the 17th district of Ohio in Congress. At the time, the 17th district was primarily made up of Trumbull and Mahoning counties, with the largest of the district's cities being Youngstown. While many outsiders aren't aware of this, Youngstown has long been the largest center for organized crime between Chicago and New York City. This history of crime and corruption has plagued the congressman over the course of his career. In the early 80's, before he was in Congress, Jim served as the Mahoning County Sheriff. During his service as sheriff is where he first caught a federal indictment for racketeering (the same famous "RICO" charges that big-name gangsters are often faced with). When Traficant was first accused, not only did he refuse to resign as Sheriff, but he also made a bold move by representing himself in court. In fact, as a result of that RICO case, Traficant became the only person to represent himself against a federal RICO case and win. Some years later, in 2002, Jim caught another case for taking bribes, racketeering, and filing false tax returns. Unfortunately, Traficant was unable to beat these charges and was sentenced to prison for 8 years depriving his district of decent representation. While I don't totally believe Traficant's guilt to the extent the case was presented, his punishment definitely exceeds his crime. Other elected members of Congress and other areas of government have been convicted of similar acts, yet have not received this severe of punishment.

Traficant, like any normal prison inmate, has a great deal of time on his hands while he watches the clock tick away on his eight-year sentence. So, what does the expelled congressman do to make the time pass? He's started a new career as an artist. While I am certainly not trying to promote Traficant as the next Picasso, I will say that since his first painting, he has progressed as an artist. His works have even been featured in a few art galleries in his former congressional district that have caused quite a buzz. Selected works have also been auctioned off on Ebay. Mostly, the paintings have been sold on their own website, www.beammeupart.com, named for the Congressman's catch phrase that he creatively borrowed from "Star Trek" and used in many of his colorful one-minute speeches on Capitol Hill.

Most of Traficant's paintings are done in watercolor or acrylic, as those are the only mediums that inmates have widely available to them. He has painted still life works, cartoon-like depictions of himself, animals, and even things that have an art deco feel. Most of his painting fetch $100 or more on the website and are sold to the first person that inquires about them. For those that are on a budget, coffee mugs are also available via www.beammeupart.com for a mere $15 plus shipping. The mugs feature two works of Jim's art: a Picasso reproduction and barn scene.

While I personally believe that Mr. Traficant's talent for politics and getting things done in Washington is being wasted behind bars, I am 100% positive that the world has not seen (or especially not heard) the last of him. Until then, I hope that he continues his love of art from his temporary home of the Federal Medical Center Prison in Rochester, Minnesota.