CLEVELAND — A businessman testified Monday that he gave U.S. Rep. James A. Traficant Jr. an envelope with $13,000 in cash to pay off the mortgage on the congressman's boat.

        Mr. Traficant, although not a lawyer, is representing himself on charges he received gifts and free labor from businessmen for his political help and took cash kickbacks and free labor from staff members.

        John J. Cafaro, a Youngstown businessman who owned the now-defunct U.S. Aerospace Group of Manassas, Va., said on a Saturday in November 1998 he brought Mr. Traficant to his car, where there was an envelope containing cash in the armrest.

        “That's for you,” Mr. Cafaro said he told Mr. Traficant.

        Mr. Cafaro testified the money was part payment toward buying Mr. Traficant's boat, which Mr. Cafaro said he had no use for. Mr. Traficant was lobbying federal regulators to approve U.S. Aerospace Group's lighting technology, and by buying the boat, the company could “help him out of a jam he was in” because he could no longer afford the mortgage.

        Cafaro testified that he also paid more than $24,000 in repair costs for the boat. Cafaro never took possession of the boat.

        Outside the courtroom Monday, Traficant said, “I didn't take any money from J.J. and he knows it.” He said Cafaro, who has pleaded guilty to conspiracy, wasn't telling the truth and was trying to stay out of jail.

        Patricia DiRenzo, who was one of Cafaro's employees, testified Monday that she made out an $8,000 check from Cafaro's account to cover repairs on Traficant's houseboat.

        She also said she sent more than $13,000 in checks to Albert Lange Jr., an employee of the U.S. Aerospace Group.

        Lange testified Monday and last week that he took money from Cafaro to pay for repairs on Traficant's boat so it would look like he and not Cafaro was buying the boat.

        Cafaro is expected to be one of the final witnesses in the prosecutions case against Traficant.

        U.S. Attorney Craig Morford told Traficant Monday during a break in the trail that the congressman should have witnesses ready Tuesday afternoon, because the prosecution may rest.

        Traficant has given little indication of what his defense may include.

        On Monday, Traficant sought to introduce into evidence a tape recording of a conversation he had with another man, Richard Detore. Detore was CEO of U.S. Aerospace Group and was accused of arranging for Cafaro to repair and buy the boat in exchange for Traficant's intervention with federal regulators. He was indicted in November on a bribery charge.

        Traficant has said he has several tape recordings that prove the government is unfairly prosecuting him.

        Two of tapes are recordings he made with former staff member Henry DiBlasio, who is accused of giving Traficant money from his monthly paycheck. DiBlasio invoked his Fifth Amendment right not to testify at Traficant's trial.

        Wells said she would rule later on whether the tapes can be played for the jury.

        Leaving the courthouse Monday evening, Traficant told reporters he may have to do less on defense than he expected, because the government case has been less detailed than he thought.

        “My defense might not take as long as I thought it might,” Traficant said. He reiterated that the government has shown “no physical evidence” proving he ever took bribes.

        Traficant said last week that he did not know if he would testify in his own defense. “If I think I have to, I will,” he said.

        Wells late last week denied Traficant's request for a hearing on alleged government misconduct in the case. In one motion, Traficant had accused an FBI agent of raping one of his constituents. Wells ruled that Traficant has no evidence of a rape or that the agent was part of the investigation of the congressman.

        In a second motion, Traficant said one of his staff members waiting outside the courtroom was threatened by an FBI agent. The judge dismissed this motion by simply scrawling “Denied” in the margin of the handwritten pages Traficant had submitted.

        The judge previously told the nine-term Democrat that he cannot raise an issue of misconduct unless he can first show evidence to support it.

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