R. Kelly’s attorney Jennifer Bonjean has filed an appeal on behalf of the disgraced rapper. The singer was sentenced to 30 years in prison after being found guilty on all counts of racketeering, sexual exploitation of a child and kidnapping by a jury at his 2021 federal trial held in U.S. District court in Brooklyn.
His lawyers claim that at least four of the jurors held biases against Kelly. A statement from Bonjean alleged that two of the jurors watched the docuseries Surviving R. Kelly and “came to this case...
His lawyers claim that at least four of the jurors held biases against Kelly. A statement from Bonjean alleged that two of the jurors watched the docuseries Surviving R. Kelly and “came to this case...
- 4/19/2023
- by Althea Legaspi and Daniel Kreps
- Rollingstone.com
Following opening statements and testimony from one of R. Kelly’s alleged victims, the singer’s federal racketeering trial continued this week in Brooklyn with prosecutors calling a pair of witnesses, Kelly’s former tour manager and longtime personal physician.
Demetrius Smith, Kelly’s former tour manager, testified about the singer’s relationship with a then-15-year-old Aaliyah; Kelly faces bribery charges over the Aaliyah incident, with prosecutors aiming to prove that the singer ran a criminal enterprise in addition to the allegations of sexual abuse against him.
On the stand,...
Demetrius Smith, Kelly’s former tour manager, testified about the singer’s relationship with a then-15-year-old Aaliyah; Kelly faces bribery charges over the Aaliyah incident, with prosecutors aiming to prove that the singer ran a criminal enterprise in addition to the allegations of sexual abuse against him.
On the stand,...
- 8/21/2021
- by Daniel Kreps
- Rollingstone.com
Jerhonda Pace was age 16 when she first met R. Kelly in 2009 at a party and he took her virginity, Assistant U.S. Attorney Maria Cruz Melendez said during her opening statements in the racketeering trial against R. Kelly held in U.S. District Court in Brooklyn on Wednesday. Pace, the first prosecution witness, also took the stand and testified that she had initially been a fan of the star when they met, but things turned abusive, as Reuters reports.
During her testimony, Pace said that he insisted that she call...
During her testimony, Pace said that he insisted that she call...
- 8/19/2021
- by Althea Legaspi
- Rollingstone.com
At 8 a.m. Wednesday, the line already snaked around the block in front of the U.S. District Court in Brooklyn as the racketeering trial against R. Kelly kicked off, with both sides presenting opening statements in a trial that could land the singer in jail for years.
Fans huddled close to the doors, periodically shouting, “Free R. Kelly!” as cameras swarmed court attendees, such as the parents of Kelly accuser Jocelyn Savage and celebrity attorney Gloria Allred (sporting a “Notorious Rbg” face mask). At one point, a burly man...
Fans huddled close to the doors, periodically shouting, “Free R. Kelly!” as cameras swarmed court attendees, such as the parents of Kelly accuser Jocelyn Savage and celebrity attorney Gloria Allred (sporting a “Notorious Rbg” face mask). At one point, a burly man...
- 8/18/2021
- by Brenna Ehrlich
- Rollingstone.com
R. Kelly’s former manager has been arrested on charges related to a gun threat that forced the evacuation of a media screening of “Surviving R. Kelly” early in 2018, according to the Associated Press. The Lifetime documentary, which chronicled the multiple claims of sexual abuse and misconduct against the singer over the years, revived attention on the allegations and played no small role in his arrest last year.
Kelly is in prison awaiting hearings in four jurisdictions on a battery of sexual abuse and misconduct charges, many of which involve women who were minors at the time.
Donnell Russell, 45, was charged with conspiracy and with threatening physical harm by interstate communication, according to the report. He was scheduled to appear remotely Friday before a magistrate judge in Manhattan federal court, although it was unclear who his counsel will be.
Earlier this week, Russell and two other Kelly associates were charged with using threats,...
Kelly is in prison awaiting hearings in four jurisdictions on a battery of sexual abuse and misconduct charges, many of which involve women who were minors at the time.
Donnell Russell, 45, was charged with conspiracy and with threatening physical harm by interstate communication, according to the report. He was scheduled to appear remotely Friday before a magistrate judge in Manhattan federal court, although it was unclear who his counsel will be.
Earlier this week, Russell and two other Kelly associates were charged with using threats,...
- 8/14/2020
- by Jem Aswad
- Variety Film + TV
Dominque Gardner, whose surprise defection from R. Kelly was one of the key moments in Surviving R. Kelly, agreed to speak on camera for the first time about her time with the singer for Lifetime’s upcoming docuseries Surviving R. Kelly Part II: The Reckoning.
“Before Dominque met R. Kelly, she was this bubbly teenager,” her mother Michelle Kramer says in the clip. “But after R. Kelly, she was dark. She was like a loner; she didn’t want to be bothered with nobody.”
Kramer’s efforts to reestablish contact...
“Before Dominque met R. Kelly, she was this bubbly teenager,” her mother Michelle Kramer says in the clip. “But after R. Kelly, she was dark. She was like a loner; she didn’t want to be bothered with nobody.”
Kramer’s efforts to reestablish contact...
- 12/30/2019
- by Daniel Kreps
- Rollingstone.com
When “Surviving R. Kelly” debuted last January on Lifetime, the six-part documentary series re-ignited the conversation around #MeToo, galvanizing the black community by exposing one its most popular artists as an alleged sexual predator. Just weeks later, “Leaving Neverland” premiered at the Sundance Film Festival amid protests from supporters of Michael Jackson, whose adult victims provided painstaking firsthand accounts of the sexual abuse they suffered at the hands of the late performer. While many were horrified by the accounts in both docu-series, others were angered by what they viewed as a targeted campaign against black men. “Surviving R. Kelly Part II: The Reckoning,” airing over three nights this January, explores the surprising aftermath of the series, which included threats and online attacks aimed at many of the survivors who spoke out.
“The backlash we have seen as a result of not just R. Kelly but #MeToo in general, in particular...
“The backlash we have seen as a result of not just R. Kelly but #MeToo in general, in particular...
- 12/19/2019
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
Lifetime announced Wednesday that Surviving R. Kelly Part II: The Reckoning — the previously announced follow-up to the network’s probing look into the singer’s alleged sexual abuse — will air in early 2020.
The first half of the two-night, four-hour special will premiere January 3rd, with the second part to follow January 4th. On January 2nd, before Part II, Lifetime will air the six-hour Surviving R. Kelly in its entirety.
Part II looks back at the immediate cultural impact in the aftermath of Surviving R. Kelly, as well as runs down...
The first half of the two-night, four-hour special will premiere January 3rd, with the second part to follow January 4th. On January 2nd, before Part II, Lifetime will air the six-hour Surviving R. Kelly in its entirety.
Part II looks back at the immediate cultural impact in the aftermath of Surviving R. Kelly, as well as runs down...
- 12/11/2019
- by Daniel Kreps
- Rollingstone.com
Almost a year after the Lifetime documentary series “Surviving R. Kelly” brought public attention back to the R&b singer’s predatory behavior, six of the women who came forward with their accusations remain proud of their decision to speak out.
Lisa VanAllen, Lizzette Martinez, Kitti Jones, Jerhonda Pace, Faith Rodgers and Asante McGee spoke about their whirlwind year and Kelly’s arrest at WrapWomen’s 2019 Power Women Summit, held at the Fairmont Miramar Hotel in Santa Monica on Oct. 25. The six received a special tribute from actress and Harvey Weinstein accuser Mira Sorvino and artist and Bill Cosby survivor Lili Bernard.
“We didn’t ask to endure what made us survivors, but we had a choice of what to do with that,” said Sorvino, who became one of the most prominent figures of the #MeToo movement in 2017 after going public with a disturbing history of harassment and Hollywood blackballing...
Lisa VanAllen, Lizzette Martinez, Kitti Jones, Jerhonda Pace, Faith Rodgers and Asante McGee spoke about their whirlwind year and Kelly’s arrest at WrapWomen’s 2019 Power Women Summit, held at the Fairmont Miramar Hotel in Santa Monica on Oct. 25. The six received a special tribute from actress and Harvey Weinstein accuser Mira Sorvino and artist and Bill Cosby survivor Lili Bernard.
“We didn’t ask to endure what made us survivors, but we had a choice of what to do with that,” said Sorvino, who became one of the most prominent figures of the #MeToo movement in 2017 after going public with a disturbing history of harassment and Hollywood blackballing...
- 10/25/2019
- by Kylie Harrington
- The Wrap
Chicago, July 12 (Ians) American singer R. Kelly was arrested here on federal sex trafficking charges, by the New York Police Department and Federal Homeland Security agents on Thursday, law enforcement sources told CBS News.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office in northern Illinois, Kelly is facing 13 counts, including child pornography, enticement of a minor to engage in criminal sexual activity and obstruction of justice.
He is facing two separate federal indictments, one in northern Illinois and one in New York. The New York Eastern District was expected to file racketeering charges on Friday.
U.S. Attorney's Office spokesman Joseph Fitzpatrick said Kelly was apprehended at about 7 p.m. Chicago time and was being held by federal authorities. According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, Kelly was being held at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Chicago.
Darrell Johnson, Kelly's publicist, told CBS News that the singer's team had been expecting federal charges,...
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office in northern Illinois, Kelly is facing 13 counts, including child pornography, enticement of a minor to engage in criminal sexual activity and obstruction of justice.
He is facing two separate federal indictments, one in northern Illinois and one in New York. The New York Eastern District was expected to file racketeering charges on Friday.
U.S. Attorney's Office spokesman Joseph Fitzpatrick said Kelly was apprehended at about 7 p.m. Chicago time and was being held by federal authorities. According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, Kelly was being held at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Chicago.
Darrell Johnson, Kelly's publicist, told CBS News that the singer's team had been expecting federal charges,...
- 7/12/2019
- GlamSham
For most of the decade between his 2008 acquittal on child pornography charges and 10-count indictment on aggravated criminal sexual abuse charges in February, R. Kelly’s star continued to rise. While the R&B superstar wasn’t selling at nearly the same level as previous years, he still published his memoir Soulacoaster: The Diary of Me, created new chapters of “hip hopera” Trapped in the Closet, performed at numerous top festivals and enlisted myriad A-list collaborations, all while emerging virtually unscathed from any legal trouble. Many willingly ignored accusations of sexual abuse,...
- 6/5/2019
- by Althea Legaspi
- Rollingstone.com
2:00 Pm Pt -- Kelly's attorney, Steven Greenberg, tells us ... the new charges concerning J.P. include more serious felonies than the original indictment -- the most serious class of felony in Illinois short of murder. Greenberg says prosecutors upgraded and added the charges, but the original charges are still active. 1:50 Pm Pt -- According to the docs ... the alleged victim, J.P. is one of the same alleged victims in the February indictment of Kelly,...
- 5/30/2019
- by TMZ Staff
- TMZ
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