Which current or former members of Congress were convicted of sexual crimes since 1995 and what sentences did they receive?
Executive summary
Since 1995 the reporting available in the supplied sources identifies at least one former member of Congress — Rep. Mel Reynolds (D-IL) — who was criminally convicted of sexual offenses, including statutory rape and solicitation of child pornography; Reynolds was convicted on 12 counts in 1995–1997 (sources list the conviction but differ on the date) and later convicted on unrelated bank-fraud counts in 1999 [1] [2]. Available sources do not provide a comprehensive, source-backed list of every current or former member of Congress convicted of sexual crimes since 1995, nor do they supply a full catalogue of sentences for such convictions [1] [2].
1. A single clear criminal conviction in the supplied reporting: Mel Reynolds
The clearest, repeatedly cited case in the documents you provided is former Rep. Mel Reynolds (D-Ill.). Multiple summaries state Reynolds was convicted on 12 counts that included sexual-assault-related charges and solicitation of child pornography; one entry dates the major convictions to 1997 while noting he resigned in 1995 after the scandal emerged [1] [2]. Those same sources also note a later 1999 conviction for bank fraud, showing the Reynolds case produced both sexual-crime convictions and subsequent financial-crime convictions [2].
2. What the sources say — and what they do not
The supplied Wikipedia-based lists and aggregated databases (List of federal political sex scandals; List of American federal politicians convicted of crimes) mention Reynolds by name and list his counts, but they do not present an exhaustive, dated roster of every member of Congress convicted of sexual crimes since 1995, nor do they always include sentencing details for each conviction in the snippets provided [1] [2] [3]. Therefore, any claim beyond what these sources explicitly list would go beyond the provided reporting. Available sources do not mention sentencing lengths or release terms for Reynolds within the supplied snippets; they only state convictions and subsequent additional convictions for fraud [1] [2].
3. Broader context: many allegations, comparatively few public criminal convictions
The documents you gave make a clear distinction between accusations/settlements and criminal convictions. Major reporting and databases cited (e.g., congressional settlement tallies, AP and PBS state-lawmakers counts) catalogue large numbers of accusations, settlements, and internal payouts across federal and state levels — for example, reporting that hundreds of settlements and dozens of accused state lawmakers exist since 2017 — but these sources underscore that allegations and settlements often do not equate to criminal conviction [4] [5]. Snopes’ analysis cautions that settlement counts were often conflated in public claims; it shows many payments relate to a range of workplace claims rather than proven sexual crimes [6].
4. Institutional response and limitations of public records
Congress created new reporting and workplace rules after high-profile scandals in the 1990s and later #MeToo-era revelations; the Congressional Accountability Act and Office of Congressional Workplace Rights payouts are referenced in the provided materials to show systemic, often confidential, handling of complaints [7] [4]. Those mechanisms mean some conduct was resolved by settlements rather than public criminal prosecutions, which limits the ability of public sources to produce a neat list of convictions with sentences [7] [4].
5. Competing perspectives in the available reporting
The sources present two competing narratives: one emphasizes the scale of accusations and secret settlements (which drives public outrage and calls for transparency) and the other emphasizes that relatively few allegations have resulted in criminal convictions publicly documented in the supplied material [6] [5]. Some outlets compiled lists of accused lawmakers (Roll Call, AP), while the criminal-conviction lists (Wikipedia summaries in the supplied results) capture fewer names and focus on cases like Reynolds [8] [2].
6. How to get a complete, sourced answer
To produce a fully sourced list of every current or former member of Congress convicted of sexual crimes since 1995 — with specific charges, conviction dates and sentences — one must consult exhaustive legal records, court dockets, Department of Justice press releases, or comprehensive investigative databases beyond the snippets provided here. The current supplied sources identify Mel Reynolds as a convicted lawmaker and document many accusations and settlements but do not supply a comprehensive, fully sourced roster with sentencing details [1] [2] [6] [4].
Limitations: This article relies only on the supplied search results. If you want, I can: (A) search primary court/DOJ records and major news archives for confirmed convictions and sentencing details since 1995; or (B) compile a list of high-profile accused lawmakers (convictions vs. settlements) drawing on broader reporting.