Mel Reynolds

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Melvin Jay "Mel" Reynolds (born January 8, 1952) was a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from the state of Illinois. Reynolds currently works for Jesse Jackson's Rainbow Coalition.

Reynolds was born in Mound Bayou, Mississippi and he graduated from Roosevelt University and the University of Illinois. An academic achiever, he won a Rhodes Scholarship to Lincoln College in the University of Oxford.

Before entering politics, Reynolds worked as a political science professor at his alma mater, Roosevelt University. He also founded the Community Economic Development Education Foundation.

Reynolds was unsuccessful in his 1986, 1988, and 1990 campaigns against Congressman Gus Savage. However, Reynolds was able to defeat Savage in 1992. He served in the House of Representatives from 1993 to 1995.

In August 1994, he was indicted for having sex with a 16-year-old campaign volunteer. Despite the charges, he continued his campaign and was re-elected in November 1994. Reynolds initially denied the charges, which he claimed were racially motivated. On August 22, 1995 he was convicted on 12 counts of sexual assault, obstruction of justice and solicitation of child pornography. He resigned his seat on October 1, 1995.

Reynolds, who had a wife and a child at the time of the incident, was sentenced to five years in prison and expected to be released in 1998. However, in April 1997, he was convicted on 15 unrelated counts of bank fraud and lying to SEC investigators. These charges resulted in an additional sentence of 78 months in federal prison. Reynolds served only part of his first sentence. At that point, U.S. President Bill Clinton commuted the sentence. As a result, Reynolds was released from prison and served the remaining time in a half way house. ^[1][2]

In 2004, he was overwhelmingly defeated by Jesse Jackson, Jr., in his attempt to win back his old House seat.

Preceded by Gus Savage

U.S. Representative of Illinois's 2nd Congressional District 1993-1995

Succeeded by Jesse Jackson, Jr.

1. ^ Clinton Commutation Grants, January 2001, University of Pittsburgh Law (http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/pardons6b.htm)
2. ^ Interview with Mel Reynolds, Chicago Reporter, January 2001 (http://www.chicagoreporter.com/2001/1-2001/sentencing/Mel.htm)