R. Kelly’s Manager Donnell Russell Faces Trial For Allegedly Calling In A Shooting Threat To Theater Showing Doc Highlighting Singer’s Sexual Abuse: He Knew His Words Would Sabotage The Event

R. Kelly’s Manager Donnell Russell Faces Trial For Allegedly Calling In A Shooting Threat To Theater Showing Doc Highlighting Singer’s Sexual Abuse: He Knew His Words Would Sabotage The Event

R. Kelly’s manager faces jail time for trying to defend his client’s honor by any means necessary. 

On Tuesday (July 19) R. Kelly’s manager, Donnell Russell, trial kicked off over charges that he caused the cancelation of the screening of a documentary highlighting R. Kelly’s sexually abused victims by calling in a threat to the crowded theater. In a Manhattan federal court, jurors were told that in December 2018 Donnell Russell made a horrifying phone call from his Chicago home to the Manhattan theater claiming that someone with a gun was planning to shoot at the crowd watching Lifetime’s ‘Surviving R. Kelly’ docuseries.

Following the threatening phone call, police were contacted. Authorities ordered an evacuation and canceled the premiere, which included a live panel discussion featuring R. Kelly’s victims.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara Pomerantz said:

“He knew his words would sabotage the event.” 

Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara Pomerantz continued: 

“The defendant wanted to keep the women quiet.” 

An employee of 25th Street’s venue, Adrian Krasniqi, testified to receiving the threatening call less than an hour after a man called the establishment claiming he was a part of the convicted singer’s legal team. Adrian Krasniqi said the person, in a professional tone, stated the documentary violated the 55-year-old’s copyright to his name and shouldn’t premiere. Following that phone call, Adrian Krasniqi testified to a deep-voiced man calling back saying that someone was coming with a weapon to harm civilians in the theater. 

Michael Freedman, defense attorney, told the court that they would exonerate Donnell Russell if they studied the evidence. Michael Freedman argued there wasn’t a recording of the phone call to recognize the person who made the call and there were a lot of phone calls to the theater the day of the screening and jurors will,

“have to decide what it all means and what, if anything, it proves about my client.”

However, Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara Pomerantz said Russell is guilty. Pomerantz told the jury after he made the phone call, he texted his co-conspirator who was at the theater during the incident. He told her the police may be arriving shortly and then asked her to delete the text, in which she never did. 

She added that Russell’s actions were motivated by a desire to protect Kelly’s music career. As previously reported, Kelly was recently sentenced to 30 years in prison for racketeering and sex trafficking.

What are your thoughts on Donnell Russell’s theater emptying threat? Tell us in the comments below. 

[VIA]