Woman says R. Kelly had sex with her ‘uncountable times’ when she was a minor
R. Kelly had sex with a Chicago girl “hundreds” of times before she turned 18, according to court testimony.
The alleged victim, now 37, said Thursday that Kelly, now 55, assaulted her “uncountable times” when she was between 13 and 18.
“He would tell me what to do,” the woman, testifying under the pseudonym Jane, said at Kelly’s second federal trial.
R. Kelly appears for a 2019 hearing in Chicago. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune/)
Already sentenced to 30 years behind bars after being convicted in Brooklyn Federal Court for running a decades-long child sex scheme, Kelly is now facing more federal charges in Chicago, including enticing children for sex, child pornography and obstruction of justice.
Jane is the key witness for prosecutors in the second trial. The feds say Kelly videotaped himself having sex with Jane when she was around 15 years old.
That video was played repeatedly at a 2008 state trial in which Kelly was charged with child pornography. However, he was acquitted in part because Jane did not testify.
Prosecutors said Kelly threatened Jane and her family to prevent them from appearing at that trial. The feds also said Kelly paid them off with trips to the Bahamas and Mexico.
Those accusations led to Kelly being charged with conspiracy to obstruct justice, in addition to the child sex charges.
During Thursday’s testimony, Jane said she met Kelly when she was just 13 and that she hoped he would be her godfather. She was part of a musical family and her aunt was working with Kelly on a project.
Jane described Kelly’s process of grooming her, saying he began calling her and saying sexual things almost immediately. She said Kelly started groping her at age 14 and that by 15 he “started penetration.”
Kelly then had sex with Jane hundreds of times over the next three years, she said. When Jane’s parents found a video of the two having sex, Kelly responded, “You’re with me or against me,” according to prosecutors.
Jane is one of five alleged victims expected to testify against Kelly in the federal trial. He also faces four counts of enticing minors for sex, and all four women connected to those charges are planning to take the stand.
With News Wire Services
