Federal prosecutors announced Tuesday that R Kelly’s ex-manager, Donnell Russell pleaded guilty to harassing and intimidating one of the R&B singer’s victims.
Russell was accused of threatening to reveal sexually explicit photos of the victim if she did not withdraw the civil lawsuit she filed against Kelly, according to the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York.
RELATED:R. Kelly’s Sisters Speak Out In His Defense Following 30-Year Prison Sentence For Sex Abuse
US Attorney Breon Peace said in a statement Monday that Russell used “threats, harassment and intimidation in a deliberate effort to silence one of R. Kelly’s victims and prevent her voice from being heard. When his initial effort failed, he continued his vile campaign by sending threatening messages to Jane Doe and her mother, and publishing explicit photos of the victim on the internet before and after Kelly was indicted.” Peace said.
“As this prosecution makes clear, the defendant’s conduct was not only reprehensible, but it was also criminal and will not be tolerated.” he continued.
As we previously reported, R. Kelly was sentenced to 30 years in prison for using his R&B superstar status to manipulate young fans into systematic sexual abuse. The singer and songwriter was convicted of racketeering and sex trafficking last year at a trial that gave notice to accusers who had once wondered if their shocking stories weren’t taken seriously because they were Black women.
U.S. District Judge Ann Donnelly gave the sentence at a courthouse in Brooklyn. The hearing today was nearly 3 hours, during the hearing Kelly did not address the court at all. According to FOX News, the victims all held hands while then the verdict was being read and R.Kelly didn’t make any reactions to his verdict.
(Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
R.Kelly’s victims told the court Wednesday that he had preyed on them at a young age and mislead his fans. “You made me do things that broke my spirit. I literally wished I would die because of how low you made me feel,” one woman told the Grammy-winning, multiplatinum-selling singer. She said she was forever traumatized by her teenage experience with him.
#Socialites are we shocked he pleaded guilty to this?