“He asked me what I would be ready to do for the music” : after the testimonials from several women to trial of American singer R. Kelly, a man in turn accused the R&B star of using his stature to sexually abuse him in his youth.
Now in his thirties, the man, who was part of the musician’s entourage, is himself being sued in the United States and pleaded guilty in 2021 to an attempt to bribe a woman who could potentially be a witness at the trial.
Presented in court under the pseudonym Louis, he explained that he had done so because he feared that this woman, whose identity was not revealed, was in possession of videos of sexual intercourse between him and the singer. It was as part of this procedure that he agreed to testify, anonymously, in federal court in Brooklyn, to his meeting with the R&B star in 2006, when he was only 17 years old.
“He asked me what I would be ready to do for the music”
He worked in a fast food restaurant near the singer’s house in Chicago, and the singer had slipped his phone number to him, he said.
The teenager first went to a party at the singer’s house with his parents, “Then he told me that it would be better if I came alone once”Louis told the court.
During a visit, “He asked me what I would be ready to do for the music”, reported the witness. The singer then asked him about his “Fantasies”, before performing oral sex.
Witness but not victim
Other relationships followed, which the singer filmed. On one occasion, the singer has “Finger snaps”, revealing a young woman, who “Lying on top of him”.
Another time, the teenager woke up to the singer after a drunken night without knowing what had happened.
This witness is not one of the victims, all women, including some minors, identified in the indictment against R. Kelly, the now 54-year-old singer, known around the world for his hit I believe I can fly.
Grip
Since the start of the trial, several women have already testified to the hold the singer had over them and prosecutors have called several witnesses to reinforce their portrait of a humiliating and violent predator.
The singer is on trial for extortion, sexual exploitation of a minor, kidnapping, bribery and forced labor, over a period from 1994 to 2018. He denies all charges, but faces life imprisonment if found guilty of all charges .
According to the indictment, R. Kelly, who enjoyed the aura of a planetary star, ran a network that recruited and groomed young girls to have sex with him, locking them in their hotel rooms. when he was on tour. He had been accused of sexual abuse several times, but was acquitted in a 2008 trial for child pornography.
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