$1.2 million discovered in hidden account regulated by R. Kelly
An investigation is underway to determine how R. Kelly is using the money.
New information against R. Kelly can further implicate his case as he serves time in a Chicago jail.
Federal prosecutors have discovered the singer created a private account in March 2019 following sexual assault charges. According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Angel Krull, Kelly, who has claimed to have no source of income, set up the account in the name of an individual who also incorporated a business called SomeBrotherLuv LLC.
Kelly has allegedly been controlling his finances from prison, assigning his royalties to the company and instructing people via phone calls to contact the person whose name the account is under, to “receive payments indirectly from” him. The account has already received at least $1.2 million last year.
The discovered bank records refute Kelly’s previous claims that he did not have the money to flee from prison amid concerns of the coronavirus pandemic. An investigation is underway to determine whether the hidden account was an attempt to avoid financial penalties or if the money is being used for bribes.
Yesterday, three of Kelly’s associates were charged for threatening his alleged victims in efforts to prevent them from speaking out against the singer.
Richard Arline, Jr., “a self-proclaimed longtime friend of Kelly” allegedly bribed an alleged victim with $500,000 “to keep her from cooperating with the government.”
Donnell Russell, “a self-described manager, advisor and friend of Kelly,” supposedly “threatened to reveal sexually explicit photographs of Jane Doe and to publicly reveal her sexual history if she did not withdraw her lawsuit against Kelly” if she didn’t withdraw her lawsuit from Kelly.
Michael Williams, a relative of Kelly’s former publicist, allegedly set aflame an SUV outside an alleged victim’s residence of an alleged victim in the Kelly case.
Kelly is currently in custody at Metropolitan Correctional Center in Chicago, where he is accused of child pornography and obstruction of justice. He is also facing racketeering charges in the Eastern District of New York. Since his arrest, many women have come out via lawsuits and a Surviving R.Kelly documentary that detailed stories of their abuse and mistreatment at the hands of the singer. Kelly’s trial is scheduled to begin on September 29, though it could be delayed due to concerns with COVID-19’s effect on a potential mistrial.