Description
Robert Sylvester Kelly aka R. Kelly (born January 8, 1967) is an American convicted child sex offender and former singer, songwriter, and record producer.
Kelly has repeatedly faced allegations of sexual abuse that have resulted in multiple civil suits and criminal trials, activities culminating in a 2021 conviction for violations of the Mann Act and Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act.
Judge Ann Donnelly, who presided over Kelly's 2021 trial, summarized Kelly's actions as having "[used] his fame and organization to lure young people into abusive sexual relationships—a racketeering enterprise that the government alleged spanned about 25 years."
In January 2019, Lifetime began airing a six-part documentary series titled Surviving R. Kelly detailing sexual abuse and misconduct allegations against Kelly.
Writing for the Los Angeles Times, Loraine Ali observed that the series covered a range of in-depth interviews that "paint a picture of a predator whose behavior was consistently overlooked by the industry, his peers and the public while his spiritual hit was sung in churches and schools.
On March 6, 2019, Gayle King interviewed Kelly on CBS This Morning. Kelly insisted on his innocence and blamed social media for the allegations. During the interview, Kelly had an emotional outburst where he stood up, pounded his chest, and yelled. Asked by King about John Legend and Lady Gaga denouncing him, Kelly called them "not professional".
The CBS This Morning segment also included two women whose parents claimed were brainwashed captives of Kelly. They described themselves as "girlfriends" of Kelly, defending and declaring their love for him, while also denouncing their parents. Afterward, King would debrief with colleagues on the recording on the segment. She recalled that a condition for recording the segment with the "girlfriends" was that Kelly would not be in the room with them. Kelly had nevertheless stayed nearby during the recording and, according to King, Kelly would "cough really loudly" to remind the women of his presence.
- One count of Racketeering (18 U.S.C. § 1962(c)).
- Eight Mann Act violations:
> Three counts of transportation across state lines for illegal sexual activity (18 U.S.C. § 2421(a))
> Four counts coercion and enticement (18 U.S.C. § 2422(a))
> One count of transportation of a minor (18 U.S.C. § 2423(a)).