R. Kelly trial: star witness' mother takes the stand after jurors hear about payoffs from singer's companies
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CHICAGO (CBS) -- The mother of the prosecution's star witness took the stand Monday in R. Kelly's federal trial in Chicago, after the witness herself testified that Kelly sexually abused her several times.
This all came after the jury last week watched graphic videos that prosecutors say show the singer sexually assaulting his goddaughter when she was as young as 14.
The videos are key evidence in the prosecution's case against Kelly, who is accused of producing child pornography and rigging his 2008 child pornography trial in Cook County.
Prosecutors played the videos for the jury after their star witness, using the pseudonym "Jane," testified last week that it's her with Kelly on the videos. Now 37, the woman told jurors Kelly sexually abused her hundreds of times from the time she was 14 until she turned 18. Kelly, now 55, was around 30 years old at the time.
On Monday, Jane's mother, who used the pseudonym "Susan," took the witness stand. She said she initially did not know what was going on when her daughter began spending a great deal of time with Kelly.
Prosecutors have said Kelly paid off Jane and her parents so they wouldn't testify against him at his 2008 child pornography trial in Cook County, at which he was acquitted. Jane didn't testify at that trial, and it wasn't until recent years that she began cooperating with federal investigators.
Susan testified that in 2000, the family was contacted by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services with regard to allegations involving Jane and R. Kelly – and a sex tape. She said the family met with Kelly and his manager to talk about it, and Kelly asked her and her husband, "Are you with us or are you not?"
She said she felt that meant "they were going to harm us." The family was sent out of the country by Kelly and his team right after that meeting.
Susan said the family went on to receive a grand jury subpoena revolving around allegations involving her daughter and Kelly – related to his child pornography case in Cook County Criminal Court that went to trial in 2008.
Susan admitted she did not identify her daughter Jane in photos and video shown to the grand jury, even though she knew it was her daughter in those photos and video. But she said did identify Kelly.
Monday's testimony began with an IRS special agent who testified about payments some of Kelly's companies made to the government's star witness and her parents. The now 37-year-old woman known as "Jane" has testified the singer sexually abused her hundreds of times, and that she was in videotapes of alleged abuse that the jury saw last week.
Kelly is on trial on a 13-count indictment, including child pornography and obstruction of justice charges. Two associates, former business manager Derrel McDavid and former assistant Milton Brown, are being tried alongside him.
The trial is expected to last four weeks.
Star witness' mother takes the stand
The mother of the prosecution's star witness, who testified against Kelly last week, took the stand Monday afternoon. Testifying under the pseudonym "Susan," she said she did not know what was going on when her daughter -- who has also testified under a pseudonym, "Jane" -- started spending more and more time with Kelly.
While Jane and her family denied for years that Kelly sexually abused her when she was a child, they are now cooperating with federal prosecutors, and Jane testified last week that Kelly had sex with her "uncounted" times when she was a child, starting when she was 14 through the time she turned 18, and that he videotaped them having sex multiple times. She has told jurors Kelly instructed her to keep their relationship secret, and after her parents found out about the relationship when one of the sex tapes leaked in 2002, Kelly wanted her parents to leave the country so they couldn't speak to the authorities or the press, and paid for them to go to the Bahamas and Cancún.
Prosecutors have said Kelly paid off Jane and her parents so they wouldn't testify against him at his 2008 child pornography trial in Cook County, at which he was acquitted. Jane didn't testify at that trial, and it wasn't until recent years that she began cooperating with federal investigators.
Jane told the jury last week that she decided to begin cooperating and testifying against Kelly because she "no longer wanted to carry his lies."
Susan testified that she first met Kelly at a concert at Percy Julian High School, where her daughter was performing when Jane was 14. Susan's sister, Stephanie -- also known as Sparkle -- introduced them to Kelly, she said.
Jane's aunt later convinced Jane to ask Kelly to become her godfather, which Susan said felt "kinda strange."
Jane testified last week that it was shortly after she asked Kelly to be her godfather that heir relationship became sexual. When asked by prosecutors how things changed after her daughter asked Kelly to be her godfather, Susan said Jane started going to Kelly's house a lot with his wife and kids, mostly on the weekends.
"She was going there a lot," Susan testified.
When asked what she believed Jane was doing at the house, Susan said, "Movies, shopping, hanging out with the kids."
Jane testified that it was shortly after she asked Kelly to be her godfather their relationship became sexual.
In 2000, the family was contacted by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services with regard to allegations involving Jane and R. Kelly – and a sex tape, Susan testified.
Susan said she and her late husband, "Brandon," contacted R. Kelly to let him know. She said Kelly' and his manager responded by setting up a meeting with them at a hotel in Oak Park.
Susan said this happened about two weeks after she heard from DCFS.
When asked to be specific about the allegations regarding Kelly, Susan said, "He was having sex with my daughter."
Susan testified that at the meeting in Oak Park, Kelly and his manager, Derrel McDavid, were in the room. She said she did not remember whether her daughter was present.
The meeting started with Kelly saying he was sorry and crying, but never admitting to the allegations. She said he told the family they needed to "leave town right away."
Susan said she was upset about the allegations. When asked why, she responded that it was because her daughter was 14 years old.
Susan said at that meeting, Kelly asked her and her husband, "Are you with us or are you not?" She said she felt that meant "they were going to harm us."
Susan said she felt both "fearful" and "frightened."
The family was sent out of the country by Kelly and his team right after that meeting. They packed their bags and went first to the Bahamas, then Cancún at Kelly's expense, Susan testified.
Susan said she and her husband lost their jobs because they had to leave town abruptly. She claims that was when her husband, Brandon, began working for Kelly.
Meanwhile, Susan said Jane was very rebellious after the trip. She said Jane slept in the closet for weeks and wasn't eating.
"We were not letting her go around him at that time," Susan said. She said that made Jane "upset."
Susan said the family went on to receive a grand jury subpoena revolving around allegations involving her daughter and Kelly – related to his child pornography case in Cook County Criminal Court that went to trial in 2008.
She said Kelly got a lawyer for the family, and they met with that lawyer – but she did not remember if the lawyer accompanied them to the grand jury room.
When asked how she felt about the going into the grand jury room, Susan said she felt "really nervous." She said Kelly wanted the family to say it was not Jane on the sex tape for which he was being investigated.
Susan admitted she did not identify her daughter Jane in photos and video shown to the grand jury, even though she knew it was her daughter in those photos and video. But she said did identify Kelly.
At the time, Susan said her own relationship with her daughter was not good – and they would not speak for weeks or months at a time.
Kelly's lead attorney, Jennifer Bonjean, cross-examined Susan. Bonjean questioned Susan's testimony about her husband Brandon going to work for Kelly after the situation blew up – saying her sister, Sparkle, had helped Brandon get work with Kelly. Susan said the statement that Brandon's professional relationship with Kelly was prior to any revelations of scandal involving Jane was "correct."
Susan testified that she and her family would go to the studio to see Kelly while both Brandon and Sparkle were working with him. This involved a protocol that included a large gate where guests had to announce themselves, Susan said.
Susan testified that she and her family would go to the studio to see Kelly while both Brandon and Sparkle were working with him. Susan said she sometimes went to the studio by herself – and would just "go and hang out," saying she was a friend/family.
Susan denied having had an intimate relationship with Kelly. She said her "purpose" was Kelly helping her with her store and Kelly would "tell her to come down."
Bonjean also raised a 2000 DCFS complaint for which Susan and Brandon were the subjects – on accusations that they allowed their daughter to have a relationship with Kelly. Susan said she recalled the accusation and denied its veracity.
Susan said she didn't want the tape showing Kelly and her daughter to be out in the public and didn't want her daughter associated with the tape.
On cross-examination, it also came up that Susan went to Kelly's concerts all the way up to 2018-2019.
IRS agent testifies about payments Kelly made to accuser and her parents
The second week of testimony began with an IRS special agent, who testified about a series of documents, including records related to two of Kelly's companies – Bass Productions and RSK Enterprises – as well as Kelly's Illinois driver's license file.
The agent also testified about payments Kelly's companies made to the parents of accuser and star witness "Jane." More than $79,000 was paid out to "Susan and Brandon" between 2006 and 2012.
"Jane" herself also received payments from 2006 to 2015 through Kelly's companies, some of them labeled "settlement."
Other payments jurors heard about were $1.3 million in settlement payments to co-defendant Derrel McDavid, the singer's former business manager, who sued Kelly for payment due after the two parted ways in 2013.
That settlement included a confidentiality agreement, and during his cross-examination of the agent, McDavid's attorney revealed, if McDavid revealed any personal or confidential information he knew about Kelly, he would owe Kelly $100,000 in damages.
Jurors also were told about two vehicles that Kelly bought for Jane and her family.
During cross-examination by Kelly's defense attorney, the IRS agent acknowledged that there was no indication on any of the payments to Jane or her family that Kelly directly paid anyone. Kelly didn't sign any of the checks or initiate any of the wire transfers.
Jane took the stand last week, testifying for the first time that Kelly sexually abused her hundreds of times when she was a child, starting when she was 14 through the time she turned 18, and that he videotaped them having sex multiple times. She has told jurors Kelly instructed her to keep their relationship secret, and after her parents found out about the relationship when one of the sex tapes leaked in 2002, Kelly wanted her parents o leave the country so they couldn't speak to the authorities or the press, and paid for them to go to the Bahamas and Cancun.
Prosecutors have said Kelly paid off Jane and her parents so they wouldn't testify against him at his 2008 child pornography trial in Cook County, at which he was acquitted. Jane didn't testify at that trial, and it wasn't until recent years that she began cooperating with federal investigators.
Jane told the jury last week that she decided to begin cooperating and testifying against Kelly because she "no longer wanted to carry his lies."
Prosecutors on Monday also entered into evidence the birth certificates of four women expected to testify that Kelly sexually abused them when they were children. Those birth certificates will later help prosecutors establish those accusers' ages at the time they say Kelly had sex with them.
