Reynolds, 62, was born in Mound Bayou, Miss., and rose from a childhood in poverty to England's prestigious Oxford University, where he earned a law degree. He was elected to Congress in 1992, and was indicted on charges of criminal sexual assault, obstruction of justice and child pornography in his first term.

He was convicted and jailed in that case in 1995 and was later convicted of misusing campaign funds and defrauding banks, federal crimes that earned him an additional prison sentence.