New allegations against R. Kelly, legal name Robert Sylvester Kelly, have been made public as he awaits trial on multiple criminal charges. Federal prosecutors hope to introduce new evidence to jurors when the 54-year-old faces the judge. According to ABC News, prosecutors hope to allow jurors to hear the new claims against the R&B singer, including the sexual abuse of a 17-year-old boy, among other uncharged allegations.
Although the introduced claims have yet to result in new charges, the prosecution is said to have evidence of Kelly sexually, physically, or verbally abusing dozen of other people. This includes the story of a 17-year-old boy and aspiring artist, whom the “I Believe I Can Fly” singer met in 2006 at a Mcdonald’s in Chicago. Kelly allegedly asked the minor what he would do to make it in the industry, before engaging in sexual behavior with the teenager. When the singer went on trial in 2008, the same boy allegedly had access to a juror and was asked by Kelly to contact the person to claim he was a “good guy.”
Kelly was also allegedly introduced to another teenage boy through the aforementioned minor with whom he participated in a sexual relationship years later. According to the report, the disgraced artist filmed both teenagers engaging in sexual acts with others, including some of his girlfriends. By introducing these stories, the prosecutors want to establish a pattern and show the charges against Kelly “were not isolated events and were part of a larger pattern.”
According to NPR, the official filing submitted by the prosecutors last Friday (July 23) includes 20 Jane Does and two John Does with allegations dating back to 1991. The federal prosecution has also requested the judge allow video evidence of Kelly physically and verbally abusing two women as evidence at the trial.
A source confirmed to CNN that Jane Doe 1 is the late singer Aaliyah who died in 2001 in a tragic plane crash. Kelly allegedly paid a state worker $500 to create an ID card for a 15-year-old-girl to appear 18-years-old so the two could legally marry. When the two singers wed in August of 1994, Aaliyah was 15 and Kelly was 27. A witness also claimed that Kelly asked them to obtain child pornography involving boys.
VIBE reported criminal investigations into the Grammy award-winning artist began in January 2019 after the troubling docuseries Surviving R. Kelly aired on Lifetime. An inquiry was initiated in the state of Georgia by the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office for numerous allegations of molestation and sexual abuse.
USA TODAY reported in June, R. Kelly was transferred to New York City to stand trial for sex trafficking. He faces accusations of leading an enterprise made up of his managers, bodyguards, and other professionals who assisted him in recruiting women and underage girls for sex.
NPR reported the singer currently stands against federal charges in New York as well as Illinois. In total, Kelly faces 22 federal criminal charges that involve allegedly abusing girls and women for over 20 years. He is scheduled to stand trial in Chicago this fall. Kelly’s New York trial is set to begin on August 9.