Former Congressman Mel Reynolds Arrested In Zimbabwe On Pornography Charges
By Chuck Sudo in News on Feb 18, 2014 2:45PM
Former Illinois congressman Mel Reynolds, whose political career came tumbling down nearly 20 years ago amid a sex scandal with an underage campaign worker, was arrested by immigration officials in Zimbabwe Tuesday and charged with possessing pornographic materials and violating immigration laws.
The Herald, Zimbabwe’s largest and state-controlled newspaper, reports Reynolds was in the country ostensibly representing foreign investors in the tourism industry. At the time of his arrest, Reynolds allegedly shot more than 100 pornographic videos and took more than 2,000 nude photos of at least ten women. He’s also believed to owe $24,500 in unpaid hotel bills. The Herald reports Reynolds was granted a 14-day visa Nov. 13. The visa was renewed and expired Dec. 10; he’s been in Zimbabwe illegally since, according to officials.
Reynolds, for what it’s worth, claimed in the report he lost his passport but later found it and was unsure if he was in violation of Zimbabwe’s immigration laws. “I am sure I will find out about that. They denied me my passport so that I can contact the United States Embassy which is a violation of international laws,” said Reynolds. When he wasn’t allegedly shooting nude photos of women, Reynolds was connected to the construction of a $145 million Hilton Hotel and office complex that was to begin in April.
Reynolds succeeded Gus Savage in IL-2 in the 1992 elections but was convicted in August 1995 on 12 counts of sexual assault, obstruction of justice and solicitation of child pornography; he resigned from his seat in October 1995. The transcripts of his telephone conversations with the campaign worker, Beverly Heard, made national headlines. Reynolds was sentenced to five years in prison but was convicted in April 1997 of 15 counts of bank fraud and lying to SEC investigators and sentenced 6-1/2 years in prison. President Bill Clinton commuted Reynolds’s bank fraud sentence.
Reynolds ran an unsuccessful campaign to reclaim his congressional seat in 2012. He was soundly defeated by incumbent Jesse Jackson Jr., who is now serving a prison sentence for using his campaign funds for personal gain.