A few of R. Kelly’s family members are speaking out on his behalf after he was sentenced to 30 years for federal racketeering and sex trafficking charges. They claim racism played a part in his conviction and claim he’s the only victim. Watch their interview inside…
R. Kelly’s family is speaking out after the disgraced singer was sentenced to 30-years for federal racketeering and sex trafficking charges in June. And they claim racism played a part in his conviction.
Ahead of Kelly’s second trial in Chicago, his sisters, Cassandra, Theresa and Lisa Kelly, sat down with “Good Morning Britain” to defend their brother, claiming he’s innocent and that he’s the only victim in this situation.
“African Americans have always been treated unfairly,” Cassandra said. “So I think that, that has a lot to do with it as well as other factors.”
They said Robert didn’t have a reason to hold anyone hostage, despite what the victims have said.
“You have thousands of women that come at him. Why does he have to hold a few hostage? Anywhere?,” Lisa asked.
The ladies were asked if the Grammy Award winner had ever been with any underage girls. To their knowledge, he had been with women younger than him, but claimed their brother had never been with an “underaged” girl, despite evidence presented in court during his criminal trial.
“I can say he may have been with younger women, but as far as underaged girls, no,” Lisa said. “And I stress girls—underaged girls, who has seen that?”
She continued, “I’m not gonna acknowledge something that I don’t have the proof of. If there is a victim, I’ll acknowledge. But from what I’ve seen in court and from what I’ve studied and from what I’ve read the only victim I see that’s been stolen from, lied on is Robert. No one is talking about the money that was being extorted from Robert. No one is talking about what was stolen from him…he’s not a monster, he’s not a pedophile, he was just taken advantage of.”
Kelly’s family members feel there isn’t enough conversation surrounding how their brother was allegedly being extorted and what was stolen from him, such as businesses and bank accounts that were in his name.
”The only victim I’ve seen that’s been stolen from, lied on, is Robert,” Lisa said. “He’s not a monster. He’s not a pedophile. He was taken advantage of.”
Some people would call them delusional, but they said they are far from that.
The sisters said they are going to shower their brother with all of the support and prayers he needs to get through this. The family members are worried about their brother’s safety after he was transferred from New York City to Chicago to face his second federal trial.
Watch their interview below:
The 55-year-old singer is scheduled to stand trial in Chicago on August 15th where he will face four counts of the production of child pornography, five counts of child sex trafficking, three counts of receipt of child pornography, and one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States.
A few days ago, a Chicago man who claims to be R. Kelly’s manager, Donnell Russell, pleaded guilty to stalking one of Kelly’s sexual assault victims in order to try and silence her. The 47-year-old man claims he’s an adviser and friend to the singer, however, Kelly’s attorney denies that.
CBS News reports:
Donnell Russell pleaded guilty to one count of interstate stalking, the U.S. attorney’s office in Brooklyn said in a statement.
Kelly, known for hits like “I Believe I Can Fly,” is serving a 30-year prison sentence after he was found guilty on all counts in a sex-trafficking trial last year.
Starting in 2018, Russell tried to intimidate one of the victims in that criminal case, who had also sued Kelly, prosecutors said.
Russell threatened to expose sexually explicit photos of the victim if she didn’t drop the lawsuit, and he later did show the photos on a Facebook page and in livestreamed video interviews, the U.S. attorney’s office said.
The stalking charge carries a maximum of five years in prison, according to the U.S. attorney’s office.
The U.S. attorney’s office statement said Russell is a self-described manager, adviser and friend to the singer. An attorney for Kelly denied that Russell ever had such a role.
Last week, a jury convicted Donnell Russel in a separate federal case that involved him phoning a gun threat to a Manhattan movie theater where Kelly’s ex-wife Andrea Kelly and other survivors screened the “Surviving R. Kelly” documentary series in late 2018.
A few weeks ago, Kelly’s partner Joycelyn Savage wrote a letter to the judge before his sentencing where she asked for a lenient sentence. In the letter, she revealed she’s engaged to the embattled singer and claims she’s deeply in love with him.
Photos: Good Morning Britain’s YouTube Screenshot/ Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune via AP, Pool, File
