A former aide to Illinois State Rep. Tim Ozinga has been charged with sending deepfake pornographic images to Democratic legislators who opposed a casino development project.

Timothy Pawula, previously Ozinga's chief of staff, faces charges of transmitting obscene messages, harassment, and obscenity. The charges came after State Sen. Michael Hastings reported receiving harassing content in May, followed by similar reports from State Rep. Bob Rita and former Tinley Park mayoral candidate Ahleah Salefski in September.

All victims opposed a plan to convert an abandoned mental health center in Tinley Park into a casino and racetrack, a project supported by Ozinga. The development failed in 2023 when Hastings led efforts to sell the land to the Park District for $1 for a sports center instead.

Court documents reveal the explicit images were distributed in late 2022 through TextFree, an app chosen to conceal the sender's identity. Rita, who serves as vice-chairman of the Illinois House gaming committee, received fake pornographic images depicting him with another elected official. Hastings allegedly received similar explicit content involving himself and Governor JB Pritzker, while Salefski reported receiving harassing texts and disturbing images.

"This is disturbing, that someone would actually create and distribute among anyone. Nobody should endure what's going on here," Rita told Patch.com.

Salefski, who ran against Mayor Michael Glotz on an anti-casino platform, expressed concern about the impact on her reputation as a community-involved mother.

Neither Ozinga nor Glotz have been implicated in the alleged harassment campaign.

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