Former US Congressman Melvin Reynolds arrives at the Harare Magistrates court on February 19, 2014/AFP
HARARE, Feb 21- A Zimbabwean court on Friday ordered that former US congressman Melvin Reynolds be deported, after he pleaded guilty to flouting immigration laws for staying in the country on an expired visa.
The Harare magistrate’s court ruled that Reynolds, a 62 year old former congressman from Illinois, be expelled immediately after he pays a fine of $100 or serves five days in prison.
Reynolds also faces a further charge of breaching Zimbabwe’s tough pornography laws, a case that was set to be heard later Friday.
The charge sheet against him said he “had in his possession an iPhone 4S cell phone which contained videos and pictures of naked women and men having sexual intercourse”.
Reynolds, once seen as a rising star in US politics, stepped down from Congress in 1995 in disgrace after being convicted of statutory rape.
He was later convicted of bank fraud and served a prison sentence before being pardoned by then president Bill Clinton.
About The Author
