Snippet of The Dollop with Dave Anthony and Gareth Reynolds: 371 - Jim Traficant and Crimetown USA (live)

Sheriff Jim Traficant was the potty-mouthed hero of Youngstown until his deep ties to the Italian and Irish mafias were exposed by the FBI. Traficant took money from both the Pittsburgh and the Cleveland mobs and used the money from one group to pay off the other. However, the Cleveland mob eventually grew weary of Traficant's loyalty and taped their meeting with him, which the FBI found and ultimately used as evidence to arrest him.

No one knows what happened. No one knows what happened to Charlie. The crabs just gone. FBI agent kroner was searching a mob hit man's apartment when he found some tapes in a bread box. Stuff This ain't bread stuffed in some stale bread. It is kind of bread. Hey, what do you guys eating tape sandwiches? Yeah. Yeah, that's it. We tape burgers? Yeah. Don't touch that. Rangoon. It ain't Charlie kronur listened to the tape. It was the crab brothers talking to Jim Traficant. Uh, turns out the crab brothers did not trust Jim. So they tape the meeting so bad. Well, you don't trust the sheriff. It's bad on a number of levels for sure when you don't trust the sheriff and you're in the mob. And also, when you're the sheriff and an FBI agent just found incriminating evidence in some white bread, it doesn't sound good. Kronur then found another tape in the crabs sisters safe deposit box in a crescent. A real pastry theme. These guys on those tapes, Jim said, quote. So he's talking to the Crab Brothers, huh? I am a loyal fucker. I'm a what? Loyal fucker. Okay, so he fucks loyals. Ah, you mean the loyal family? Yes, I'm a loyal fucker. And my loyalty is here. And now we've got to set up the business that they've run for all these fucking years and swing that business over to you. And that's what your concern is. That's why you finance me. And I understand that, Dave. Did someone write this down for him to say that is as incriminating as it could possibly be? That is just every word of that is necessary to incriminate yourself perfectly on. I'll do it for you guys because I'm Jim trafficking. Okay, now, let's count it out. 12 The crab Brothers had given Jim 103,000 to protect their rackets and shut down the Pittsburgh mobs rackets. Sure. Jim said if any of the hitting of his deputies betrayed the Crab Brothers quote, they'll fucking come up. Swimming in the Mahoning River on this is again is the shit Sure. I just wanted to clarify that one last time, so, uh, I must have fucked this up because Charlie the crab is still alive. He what? My God. What does happen, really? On a roller coaster of a crab disappears later. Sorry. Well, I can't get invested in him now. That's a mistake. Hey, everybody. And he just disappeared. He's back. Hey, what's up? Hey, Charlie. Hey. How you doing? Don't worry about a thing. I'm gonna be five forever now that I'm back. Sorry to worry you. Now I'll never go away again. That's a promise, Charlie. The crab. You can lock it like it's in my claw. Mhm. I think I speak for everyone when I say we hate you with a mug. What a boastful sipper. I sip like a king like a loyal fucker. So? So, Charlie, the crowd was actually worried about Jim's loyalty, because will that ever come back into play? Well, he knew that Jim had taken 60,000 from the Chicago mob, who he was now double crossing. Jim even gave some of the money from the Chicago mob, gave him to Charlie Crab. And what to prove he was loyal to them. But what? No, and said the day he became sheriff, he would use some of the money the Pittsburgh mob have given to him to arrest them for bribery. Okay, wait. I'm just tired. So that is it. It's the Pittsburgh mob that he's playing against the crabs. Crabs, Air Cleveland. Okay, Right. Pittsburgh is, uh uh, Once you guys named Lenny, right, the Strollo stroller is a strong destroy or stroller. Its role. Uh uh. Sorry. So he's like s Oh, that's great. Eso he is like, No, of course I'm with you guys. I'll take some of the bribe money they gave me and gave it to you guys. That's right. Okay, that's not Yeah. How could anybody not go for that? No. No, it seems cool. So at one point in the tapes, Jim realized how amazing his plan was. Quote if you think about it. If I fucking did that, Charlie interrupted him. You could run for governor, and then they all laugh. Jesus Christ. FBI agent kroner met Jim and asked him if he was conducting an investigation into the mob. And Jim said no. And then he asked if he knew the crabs. No, he asked him if he had ever met the crowd. Never met him, though. And then kroner played the tape, huh? Well, I mean Oh, you mean me to meet him? Yeah, I met him. Yeah. Yeah, Yeah, if you have tapes. Yeah, I met him. Yeah, You didn't tell me you had tapes before that. And I met them. Yes, I met them. Yeah, that's us. Yeah. Yeah. So I don't know what any other questions, I guess. Can you stop that tape? What? Did you go through some bread? What's going on over here? How did you get those? Did you look in the breadbox? A gym slumped and said he didn't want to hear any more. He admitted to taking the money, and then he signed a confession. For some reason, Jim thought once he confessed, he would get to remain sheriff. So Jim, Jim really didn't look up what? His job was too much, huh? It was just sort of like So I'm just sort of like the leader of everyone, right? Is that how this works? I just think it was so corrupt that he was like, Yeah, you do the thing he get? Yeah. Then you're fine. Alright. Yeah. Slap on the wrist. Boom, boom, boom. I'm back with the crabs. Love it. He figured. I think he figured he was elected, so Sure. Yeah, well, I'll tell you, that's not incorrect. But then he was told he would have to resign and he said, Quote, do what you have to do and I'll do what I have to do. Yeah, no, we're firing you. So I don't know what the fuck threat that is. Get out, he later told a local reporter. Quote. All those people trying to put me in jail can go fuck themselves. So he's switched. On August 8th, 1982 the 41 year old sheriff surrendered to the FBI for taking 163,000 from the mob. He faced 23 years Jim all the press conference in a white suit and said he would continue to act as the sheriff until someone came and removed him. Interesting. What I'm gonna do is dress like an angel and push back. That's my plan for the press conference, so I hope everyone's cool with that. That'll be my move