James Anthony Traficant Jr. was born in Youngstown, Ohio on May 8, 1941. He was sheriff of Mahoning County, Ohio from 1981–85, before serving as the Democrat US Congressman from Ohio, January 3, 1985 to July 24, 2002.

On April 12, 2002, Traficant was convicted of taking bribes, filing false tax returns, racketeering, and forcing his aides to perform chores at his Ohio farm and Washington, D.C. houseboat. He was expelled from the House of Representatives on July 24, 2002 and served a seven-year prison sentence at the Federal Correctional Institute, Allenwood, Pennsylvania. From within, Traficant ran an unsuccessful campaign for election back to the House.

Traficant died in a tractor accident on September 27, 2014, on his Youngstown farm.