Seven years in prison don't appear to have changed former U.S. Rep. James Traficant's style whatsoever, and the 1,200 supporters who gathered at a Boardman banquet hall Sunday afternoon loved him for it. "I was a quarterback. I was a congressman. Now I'm a convict," Traficant said, his signature toupee firmly back atop his head. "I wouldn't change one single thing. And to the powerful enemies that I have, I'll just say this to you: They had to cheat to convict me."
The crowd roared. After 15 minutes of remarks, hundreds swarmed the makeshift stage to shake his hand or ask for an autograph.