GOP Lawmaker Allegedly Catfished Other Men With Ex-GF's Nudes

Illinois state rep. Nick Sauer resigned on Wednesday in response to an ex-girlfriend's accusations that Sauer created a fake Instagram account flooded with the woman's nude photos so that he could draw men into "graphic" discussions.

"As a result of the allegations by Kate Kelly, a former girlfriend, I have decided to resign," Sauer -- a member of the General Assembly's sexual harassment task force -- wrote in a letter to the Clerk of the House of Representatives.

"It is important that the citizens of the 51st District be fully represented. My ability to fulfill my obligations as a State Representative and public servant will be affected by the distraction of addressing these allegations. After speaking with my family, I feel it best to step away from my public responsibilities."

Kelly had filed an official complaint to the Office of the Legislative Inspector General, which ultimately prompted the first-term Republican's resignation. In her complaint, Kelly wrote that Sauer had used the account "to catfish other men using my privately shared naked photos. Nick would use this account to direct message men with my photos to engage in graphic conversations of a sexual nature. The men believed they were communicating with me and Nick shared private details of my life."

Kelly's statement also claimed that "an active investigation" by the Chicago Police Department was underway.

State House Republican Leader Jim Durkin said that Sauer's alleged actions were "troubling," adding that, "We should allow the proper authorities to conduct their investigations." Republican Governor Bruce Rauner encouraged Sauer's resignation prior to Sauer officially quitting.

Kelly claimed that she and Sauer had started a long-distance relationship two years ago and that she had moved to Chicago to be closer to him in 2017, but that the couple had broken up earlier this year after she discovered Sauer was cheating, according to Kelly's official complaint and an interview with Politico.

Kelly said that Sauer had "randomly" reached out to her in January with a long, apologetic email and dozens of roses sent to her door. Sauer then transferred $2,000 into her bank account after she told him, "he needed to reimburse me for flights and hotels, etc.," adding, "I quickly realized things wouldn't change and we stopped talking again."

Soon after Sauer transferred the money, a man Kelly previously hadn't known contacted her through Instagram to tell her "he had been communicating for 4 months with someone pretending" to be Kelly.

Kelly contacted Instagram, that helped her take down the account -- which had, upon investigation, been created around the time that Kelly and Sauer had started dating.

Illinois has a strong revenge porn law that criminalizes the nonconsensual distribution of sexual images shared privately between two parties, according to Deborah Tuerkheimer, a professor of law at Northwestern University. "In recent years, in which 'revenge pornography' or consensual image distribution has become a far greater problem, states have had to get up to speed in dealing with the issue," Tuerkheimer told Politico, although she did not comment specifically on the Sauer case.

No charges have yet been filed against Sauer.