Porn Deepfakes Sent to Casino-Opposed Illinois Dems by GOP Aide, Cops Say

Posted on: November 13, 2024, 06:19h. 

Last updated on: November 13, 2024, 07:20h.

Philip Conneller @casinoorgphilc Read More
Expertise: Gaming Business, Regulation, Tribal Gaming.

A former aide to ex-Illinois State Rep. Tim Ozinga (R-Mokena) has been charged with the transmission of obscene messages, harassment, and obscenity for allegedly sending deepfake porn images to legislators opposed to a casino project.

Timothy Pawula, Michael Hastings, Bob Rita, Ahleah Salefski, porn, Tinley Park casino
Timothy Pawula, above, is accused of sending “disturbing images” to two state lawmakers and an aspiring mayor who opposed a plan for a casino in Tinley Park. The images depicted the alleged victims in sexually explicit

Timothy Pawula was Ozinga’s chief of staff before the latter resigned from the Illinois House abruptly and without reason last April.

Pawula was initially charged in May after State Sen. Michael Hastings (D-Frankfort) reported the alleged harassment.

Pawula was subsequently hit with similar charges in September following allegations made by State Rep. Bob Rita (D-Blue Island) and former mayoral candidate for Tinley Park Ahleah Salefski, according to documents seen by Chicago’s WGN Investigates.

Common Denominator

The common denominator was that each of the alleged victims opposed a plan to transform a derelict former mental health center in the south Chicago suburb of Tinley Park into a casino and racetrack, a cause championed by Ozinga.

The plan fell through in 2023 after Hastings pioneered a campaign to sell the land to the Park District for $1 so it could be repurposed into a sports center.

The explicit images were sent late 2022 using the app TextFree, which the sender hoped would mask his identity, according to court documents.

Rita, a longtime vice-chairman of the Illinois House committee which oversees gaming, told WGN he believed he was targeted because of his opposition to the casino plan.

“[Tinley Park] Mayor [Michael] Glotz had an interest in building a racetrack casino in Tinley Park that residents did not want,” he said. “Sen. Hastings and I worked together to stop this.”

Meanwhile, Salefski unsuccessfully challenged Glotz on an anti-casino ticket.

Images Were ‘Disturbing’

Rita said he was sent fake porn images that depicted him in a sexually explicit situation with another elected official.

“This is disturbing, that someone would actually create and distribute among anyone. Nobody should endure what’s going on here,” he told Patch.com.

At around the same time, Hastings allegedly received sexually explicit images of himself, Gov. JB Pritzker, and other elected officials, according to a source who spoke to WGN. Salefski reported she had received harassing texts and similarly disturbing images.

“It was something that really painted me in a negative picture,” Salefski told Patch. “I’m a mom who’s involved in a lot in our community. I wouldn’t want that to happen to anyone else in our community, especially another female … It’s gross and disgusting.”

Neither Ozinga nor Glotz are accused of having any involvement in the alleged harassment.