R. Kelly Allegedly Intimidating Witnesses From Jail + Accused Of Marrying Aaliyah To Avoid Prosecution

R.Kelly, Aaliyah

R. Kelly Allegedly Intimidating Witnesses From Jail + Accused Of Marrying Aaliyah To Avoid Prosecution

The hole keeps digging deeper for disgraced singer R. Kelly. Federal prosecutors have uncovered more shocking claims in relation to the singer’s multiple pending sexual assault/child pornography charges. One of the claims is that while R. Kelly and his defense team paint a portrayal of him being completely cut off from the outside world, prosecutors allege that he’s intimidating witnesses. The 51-year-old singer reportedly smuggled a letter into his federal facility, and used a jail employee’s phone to make an unmonitored call. This is why prosecutors insist that the victims and witnesses’ names be concealed, according to the Chicago Tribune.

R. Kelly

A prosecutor wrote this in this week’s filing:

“Simply put, the defendant’s past behavior reveals that if given the opportunity to influence a potential witness, the defendant will take it, and his incarceration may not be enough to prevent such conduct…These incidents demonstrate that the defendant has sought out, and likely will continue to seek out, clandestine means of communication. It also demonstrates that the defendant has, at his disposal, individuals willing to assist him in bypassing the traditional methods used to monitor the defendant’s communications while incarcerated.”

R.Kelly Mugshot

Witnesses also recently revealed what they believe to be the reason R. Kelly pursued marrying a 15-year-old Aaliyah:  to avoid jail time, according to Chicago Sun-Times. In December, he was indicted on bribery charges for allegedly buying a fake ID for the underaged singer to be able to marry him. According to a new court filing, prosecutors wrote:

“Witnesses have advised the government that the defendant engaged in this bribery scheme to obtain a marriage license so he could quickly and secretly marry Jane Doe #1 to avoid criminal charges for engaging in a sexual relationship with Jane Doe #1, who was a minor at the time. Specifically, the defendant believed that his marriage to Jane Doe #1 would prevent her from being able to testify against him in the event he were prosecuted for his criminal sexual relationship with her.”

R. Kelly’s lawyer, Steve Greenburg, says the investigation won’t be fair without identifying the victims:

“…the defense cannot conduct any investigation or adequately prepare for trial without knowing who each of the supposed ‘victims’ are.”

R. Kelly has been held in Chicago’s Metropolitan Correctional Center since July, facing child pornography, racketeering, and obstruction of justice charges.

What do you think about the new developments of his case? Tell us in the comments.

Written by Miata Shanay