The Associated Press is reporting that former Ohio representative and convicted bribe-taker James Traficant has died, apparently from injuries he received this week "after a vintage tractor flipped over on him as he tried to park it inside a barn." He was 73.
For almost 20 years, the flamboyant Traficant represented Ohio's 17th district as a Democrat, famous for eccentricities like his strange pompadour (which he often joked was cut with a weed-whacker) and the congressional catch-phrase of "Beam me up," which he used to end his speeches on the House floor.
In 2002, Traficant was expelled from Congress after being convicted of 10 different felony corruption charges, including racketeering, bribery and tax evasion. Traficant served seven years in federal prison, winning 15% of the vote in 2002 when he ran for his former office from his cell as an independent candidate.
Traficant has been in the hospital since Tuesday, when police say his 1943 Ford tractor "hit a steel blade and flipped over," trapping the ex-congressman underneath.
[Image via AP Photo]
