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Disgraced ex-congressman arrested with porn in Zimbabwe

A disgraced former Illinois Congressman is under arrest in Zimbabwe after allegedly taking hundreds of nude photos and pornographic videos.

Melvin Reynolds, whose promising political career crashed in 1995 after he was convicted of statutory rape involving a 16-year-old campaign worker, was in the African country while serving as a middleman for foreign investors in tourism.

Reynolds, 62, was arrested in a hotel in Harare, the Zimbabwe capital, on Monday on pornography charges and for remaining in the country illegally on an expired visa.

Reynolds also ran up $24,500 in bills at two hotels, according to the state-owned newspaper the Herald.

It said he brought several Zimbabwe models to his hotel room and took nude photos and video of them. A source told the newspaper, “He conducted the acts in the hotel room when he was guarded by four personal aides that were on his payroll.”

Possession of pornography is a crime in Zimbabwe.

The former Rhodes scholar and Harvard graduate had been one of the rising stars of the Illinois Democratic party when he ousted Rep. Gus Savage in a primary in 1992. Savage was vulnerable because a House ethics committee probe found that he had made improper sexual advances to a female Peace Corps volunteer.

But after one term in office, Reynolds was indicted on 12 counts of statutory rape, solicitation of child pornography and obstruction of justice. He was convicted and sentenced to five years in prison.

While behind bars he was convicted of fraud for concealing debts to obtain bank loans and diverting money from voter registration drives to his election campaign.

In one of President Clinton’s last acts in office, he commuted Reynolds’ fraud sentence in 2001.

Reynolds tired to make a political comeback in 2004 but was defeated by Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. in a Democratic primary.

After Jackson resigned and pleaded guilty of misusing campaign funds, Reynolds sought the vacated Congressional seat in 2012 but failed.

Zimbabwe officials said Reynolds entered the country in November on a 14-day visa that was not renewed.

The Herald said Reynolds claimed he had often been in Zimbabwe on political missions. “I have been in this country 17 times where I have done a lot of work for the people including the fight against sanctions,” the newspaper quoted Reynolds as saying.