Congressman Convicted of Sexual Assault
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After a trial that lasted almost a month, Representative Mel Reynolds was convicted today of having sex with a former campaign worker while she was under age and then trying to thwart the investigation. The seven-man, five-woman jury deliberated for less than two days before delivering the verdict of guilty on all 12 counts, which means that Mr. Reynolds, a 43-year-old two-term Democrat from Chicago, faces at least four years in prison. As the verdict was read, Mr. Reynolds sat expressionless, mouthing an inaudible phrase. His wife and mother sat next to each other in the courtroom showing little emotion. Mr. Reynolds testified that he never had sex with the campaign volunteer, Beverly Heard, when she was 16 and 17. He maintained that he and Ms. Heard had only fantasized about sex in telephone conversations. Mr. Reynolds, who is black, said he was the target of a racially biased, politically motivated prosecution. More : query.nytimes.com |