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A businessman accused of funneling bribes to James Traficant Jr., the ousted Ohio congressman, was acquitted by a federal jury Friday–the only person cleared among four charged.
Richard Detore, who could have faced up to five years in prison, blinked back tears after the verdict was read on the single count of conspiracy to violate the federal bribery statute.
Detore, 43, was chief operating officer of U.S. Aerospace Group, a now-defunct Manassas, Va., company that was marketing a laser-guidance system.
Prosecutors said Detore concealed gifts, cash and boat repairs for Traficant, who was expelled in July, in the late 1990s in exchange for help getting Federal Aviation Administration certification for the system.
