Vanessa Obioha
Since two weeks ago the musician R. Kelly returned to a Brooklyn federal courtroom to face a nine-count indictment that includes charges on racketeering and violations of the Mann Act, an interstate anti-prostitution law in the United States, shocking details have emerged. The latest being the testimony of a 32-year-old man who identified as Louis. He is the first male to testify in the trial of the musician whom prosecutors say used his fame to procure women and sexually abuse them.
Louis said he met Kelly in 2006 at MacDonald’s drive-through. He was 17 at the time and the musician had promised to help his music career.
“He asked what I was willing to do for the music…He crawled down on his knees to me and proceeded to give me oral sex,” he told jurors.
Louis said that throughout his relationship with the R&B singer, he had sexual contact with the singer and on many occasions, the activity was recorded.
While Louis’ allegations are not a part of the nine-count indictment against Kelly, Brooklyn prosecutors have argued the 54-year-old abused at least six women and girls, four of whom were minors when he first had sexual contact with them.
Jerhonda Pace, who first met Kelly when she was 16 years old, was the first to testify against the singer when his criminal trial began in August.
Other accusers have also shared their encounters with the singer. They include a woman identified as ‘Addie’ who testified that the singer sexually assaulted her just two days after his marriage to the late musician Aaliyah in 1994; Faith (a pseudonym) said that Kelly pressured her to have sexual relations with him not long after they met in 2017.
Kelly has pleaded not guilty to all of the charges against him. The trial is expected to run through the end of September.
