R. Kelly Insiders May Have Aided In Alleged Sexual Abuse: Report

BYAron A.Updated on September 26, 20224.1K Views

R&B singer R. Kelly leaves the Cook County jail after posting $100 thousand bond on February 25, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. Kelly was being held after turning himself in to face ten counts of aggravated sexual abuse.

Michael Avenatti believes R. Kelly's enablers could be targeted by prosecutors.

R. Kelly's inner circle could be subject to criminal liability for their roles in allegedly aiding the singer in allegedly sexually abusing underage girls. Prosecutors believe R. Kelly's used his inner circle to help lure in underage girls. They allege that he met a 16-year-old girl who was celebrating her birthday at a restaurant, his manager was the one who her a business card with the singer's number on it, telling her that Kelly wanted her to call him. Prosecutors claim Kells sexually abused the girl once a month for a year after she got the singer's number from her mom's purse.

Chicago Police Department via Getty Images

Michael Avenatti, the lawyer for two of the alleged victims, said that over 10 associates of R. Kelly could be exposed to criminal liability for being staying silent or helping Kelly in his alleged sex crimes. Avenatti said that Kelly was dependent on the people on his team to help him target underage girls, lure them, and pay them, off to keep him quiet for years.

"[R. Kelly] could not have accomplished this for 28 years without the assistance of others who looked the other way because they didn’t want the R. Kelly gravy train to end,” he said.

Avenatti said that he expects Kelly's insiders to turn on him if prosecutors for after them. “His handlers and enablers are going to look to save their own butts as opposed to R. Kelly,” he said.

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About The Author

Aron A.

Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.