A former aide to ex-Illinois State Rep. Tim Ozinga (R-Mokena) faces charges of transmission of obscene messages, harassment, and obscenity after allegedly sending deepfake porn images to legislators who opposed a casino project. Timothy Pawula is accused of sending disturbing images to two state lawmakers and an aspiring mayor who stood against the plan for a casino in Tinley Park. These images depicted the alleged victims in sexually explicit scenarios.
Pawula served as Ozinga’s chief of staff before Ozinga abruptly resigned from the Illinois House in April without providing a reason. The incidents first came to light in May when State Sen. Michael Hastings (D-Frankfort) reported the alleged harassment. Additional charges were filed against Pawula in September following similar allegations from State Rep. Bob Rita (D-Blue Island) and Ahleah Salefski, a former mayoral candidate for Tinley Park, according to documents obtained by Chicago’s WGN Investigates.
Each of the alleged victims had opposed the plan to convert a defunct mental health center in Tinley Park into a casino and racetrack, a proposal supported by Ozinga. The project fell apart in 2023 after Hastings led a campaign to sell the land to the Park District for $1, aimed at repurposing it into a sports center.
The offensive images were reportedly sent in late 2022 using the app TextFree, which the sender believed would obscure his identity. Rita, a longtime vice-chairman of the Illinois House committee overseeing gaming, stated he felt targeted due to his opposition to the casino plan. He noted that Tinley Park Mayor Michael Glotz had an interest in the racetrack casino project, which was not supported by residents, prompting him and Hastings to collaborate in stopping it. Salefski, who ran unsuccessfully on an anti-casino platform against Glotz, also received harassing texts and graphic images.
Rita described the fake porn images depicting him in a sexually explicit situation with another elected official as disturbing and unacceptable, emphasizing that no one should have to endure such treatment. Hastings reportedly received explicit images of himself, Governor JB Pritzker, and other officials around the same time, according to a source who spoke to WGN.
Salefski expressed her distress over the harassing texts and images, which painted her in a negative light. As an involved community member and mother, she found the situation repugnant and expressed concern that no one else should have to experience it, especially another woman in the community.
Although Ozinga and Glotz are not accused of involvement in the harassment, Pawula now faces serious legal consequences for his alleged actions.
