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Prosecutors want to garnish Traficant’s state pension to pay fine
CLEVELAND,
March 19, 2008 (AP): Prosecutors want to tap into former
congressman Jim Traficant’s pension to help pay about
$93,000 he still owes in fines from his bribery conviction.
Richard J.
French, an assistant
U.S.
attorney, filed an application last month in federal court to
obtain money from the Ohio Public Employee Retirement System.
Traficant has a state pension from his service as Mahoning County
sheriff before he was elected to U.S. Congress.
An attorney
from Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann’s office filed a
response to French’s application, contending the funds are exempt
from garnishment.
Traficant
has paid about $57,000 of his $150,000 fine out of his federal
pension, French said Wednesday.
Traficant,
66, who served nine terms in the House representing the Youngstown
area, was convicted in 2002 of charges he received gifts and free
labor from businessmen for his political help, and took cash
kickbacks and free labor from staff.
He is serving an eight-year prison term at the Federal Medical
Center in Rochester, Minn. According to
www.bop.gov, his
release date is
Sept. 2, 2009.
But Traficant, Federal ID# 31213-060, is eligible for placement
into a half-way house as early as
March 2, 2009.
Information from: The (Youngstown)
Vindicator,
http://www.vindy.com
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