One of R. Kelly’s alleged victims has reportedly testified in front of a federal grand jury.
As reported by TMZ on Friday (May 17), the testimony from Faith Rodgers, who also was featured in the Lifetime docuseries “Surviving R. Kelly,” testified in front of jury that could possibly indict him for tax evasion and sex trafficking.
According to sources close to the situation, Rodgers testified in front of a grand jury that was convened by U.S. Attorneys in the Southern District of New York. The celebrity news publication also notes they were told that more witnesses are expected to provide testimony against the embattled singer in the near future.
While it is not known what Rodgers shared with the panel due to the notorious top secret nature of the federal grand jury proceedings, she previously has spoken out against the singer, claiming he gave her an STD. Last year, she sued him for false imprisonment and sexual battery.
As discussed during the “Surviving R. Kelly” docuseries, Rodgers claims that Kelly recorded their first sexual encounter without her consent and posted naked photos of her, as well as sent her a notarized letter threatening her due to her decision to talk publicly. Per Rodgers, the letter threatened to reveal details of her sex life as a measure of retaliation. She previously shared with CBS News that she was in a yearlong relationship with Kelly when she was 19. Rodgers alleges that she was told to call him “daddy,” was locked away for days at a time and was introduced to one of the five women he was reportedly “raising.”
TMZ also reports that next week witnesses will be testifying for a federal grand jury in Illinois. At the time of this report, the singer is currently being investigated for tax evasion, obstruction of justice and sex trafficking in two separate states.
Kelly’s crisis manager Darrell Johnson gave a statement to TMZ following reports that one of his accusers recently gave testimony.
“Mr. Kelly feels like the devil is working overtime in effort to try to destroy his musical legacy for selfish, personal enrichment,” Johnson shared. “We feel everything will line up right on track when it is all said and done. Mr. Kelly is not where he wants to be in life at this present moment. However, every indication shows that he is headed in the direction of a positive outcome. He feels that when you are very focused people try to take you down. He’s very confident that in the end he will be proven innocent.”
In related news, it was recently reported that R. Kelly’s daughter, Buku Abi, was forced to drop out of college after her father stopped paying for her tuition.