INSIDER
Supreme Court declines to hear appeal from singer R. Kelly, convicted of child sex crimes
Read full article: Supreme Court declines to hear appeal from singer R. Kelly, convicted of child sex crimesThe Supreme Court has declined to hear an appeal from the singer R. Kelly, who is now serving 20 years in prison after being convicted of child sex convictions in Chicago.
Inside the Brooklyn federal jail where Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is locked up: violence, squalor and death
Read full article: Inside the Brooklyn federal jail where Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is locked up: violence, squalor and deathLawyers for Sean “Diddy” Combs unsuccessfully fought to keep him out of jail after his sex trafficking arrest.
What will become of Sean 'Diddy' Combs' musical legacy? Experts weigh in following his indictment
Read full article: What will become of Sean 'Diddy' Combs' musical legacy? Experts weigh in following his indictmentSean “Diddy” Combs is widely recognized as one of the most influential figures in hip-hop, but his indictment Tuesday on sex trafficking and racketeering charges further clouds his legacy.
Singer R. Kelly seeks appeals court relief from 30-year prison term
Read full article: Singer R. Kelly seeks appeals court relief from 30-year prison termR. Kelly's lawyer says all kinds of legitimate organizations — even college fraternities — could be deemed racketeering organizations under a law used to convict the R&B superstar at his trial of using his fame to sexually abuse young fans.
Ta-Nehisi Coates spearheads new fund combatting sexual violence
Read full article: Ta-Nehisi Coates spearheads new fund combatting sexual violenceAuthor and journalist Ta-Nehisi Coates is teaming up with two nonprofits to launch a new fund that will make awards to champions of sexual violence prevention and that will support education and healing programs, predominantly for Black women and girls, with plans to raise $10 million over the next two years.
New this week: 'The Pale Blue Eye,' Iggy Pop and 'The Menu'
Read full article: New this week: 'The Pale Blue Eye,' Iggy Pop and 'The Menu'This week’s new entertainment releases include albums from veteran Iggy Pop and rising star Brandon Ratcliff, Lifetime concludes its coverage on R. Kelly’s victims with a two-night special, and Christian Bale stars as a detective in an 1830 whodunit alongside a young Edgar Allen Poe.
R. Kelly manager gets a year in prison for theater threat
Read full article: R. Kelly manager gets a year in prison for theater threatR. Kelly’s onetime manager has been sentenced to a year in federal prison for calling in a shooting threat that halted a screening of a damning documentary about the R&B star.
R. Kelly associate seeks legal fees after acquittal
Read full article: R. Kelly associate seeks legal fees after acquittalR. Kelly’s former business manager asked a federal judge to award him $850,000 in attorneys fees after a jury acquitted him during the same trial in Chicago at which the R&B singer was convicted of child pornography charges.
5 years on, key #MeToo voices take stock of the movement
Read full article: 5 years on, key #MeToo voices take stock of the movementOnce again, disgraced mogul Harvey Weinstein sits in a courtroom, on trial in Los Angeles while the reckoning the accusations against him launched marks a significant milestone this month.
EXPLAINER: R. Kelly acquitted on rigging trial. Why?
Read full article: EXPLAINER: R. Kelly acquitted on rigging trial. Why?Federal prosecutors this week scored multiple convictions against R. Kelly at the singer’s trial in Chicago, but they lost on the headline charge — that Kelly obstructed justice by rigging his 2008 state child pornography trial, at which jurors acquitted him.
Ex-employee testifies he now doubts R. Kelly abuse denials
Read full article: Ex-employee testifies he now doubts R. Kelly abuse denialsAn ex-business manager for R. Kelly and his co-defendant at Kelly’s ongoing federal trial in Chicago has expressed doubts on the witness stand about Kelly’s insistence in the 2000s that he never sexually abused minors.
R. Kelly ex-manager says he believed singer's abuse denials
Read full article: R. Kelly ex-manager says he believed singer's abuse denialsR. Kelly’s former business manager has testified at the singer's federal trial in Chicago that he believed the singer's denials of sexual misconduct when allegations emerged against his boss in the late 1990s.
Music writer fights subpoena to testify at R. Kelly trial
Read full article: Music writer fights subpoena to testify at R. Kelly trialA music writer who spent decades raising awareness about sexual misconduct allegations against singer R. Kelly is fighting a bid to force him to testify at Kelly’s federal trial in Chicago on child pornography and trial-fixing charges.
R. Kelly's lawyers start defense; he says he won't testify
Read full article: R. Kelly's lawyers start defense; he says he won't testifyR. Kelly’s lawyers began mounting a defense Thursday in Chicago against federal charges of child pornography, enticement of minors for sex and fixing his 2008 state trial, with an initial witness contending the singer was himself a victim of blackmail.
Prosecutors rest in R. Kelly’s trial-fixing, child porn case
Read full article: Prosecutors rest in R. Kelly’s trial-fixing, child porn caseProsecutors have rested at R. Kelly’s federal trial in Chicago after presenting two weeks of evidence in a bid to prove charges that accuse the singer of enticing underage girls for sex and producing child pornography.
Witness: R. Kelly manager threatened her over stolen video
Read full article: Witness: R. Kelly manager threatened her over stolen videoA former R. Kelly girlfriend wept on the witness stand as she testified that a Kelly business manager told her in 2007 she should have been killed for causing the R&B star so much trouble.
Witness about R. Kelly: I didn't want to 'carry his lies'
Read full article: Witness about R. Kelly: I didn't want to 'carry his lies'A woman who says she was sexually abused hundreds of times by R. Kelly before she turned 18 has testified that she agonized several years ago about whether to cooperate with federal investigators who were looking into child abuse allegations involving the singer.
Woman says it was her, R. Kelly in key video at 2008 trial
Read full article: Woman says it was her, R. Kelly in key video at 2008 trialA woman who has been central to R. Kelly’s legal troubles for more than two decades has testified that the R&B singer sexually abused her “hundreds” of times before she turned 18.
Attorney: Don't accept portrayal of R. Kelly as `monster'
Read full article: Attorney: Don't accept portrayal of R. Kelly as `monster'R. Kelly’s federal trial on allegations that he rigged his 2008 state child pornography trial and enticed girls for sex is about the R&B singer’s “dark” and “hidden” side, a prosecutor told jurors Wednesday.
R Kelly jury picked in child pornography, trial-fixing case
Read full article: R Kelly jury picked in child pornography, trial-fixing caseA federal jury has been impaneled R. Kelly’s to decide multiple charges against the R&B singer, as prosecutors and defense attorneys argued about whether the government improperly sought to keep some Blacks from the jury.
R. Kelly's manager faces trial over theater-emptying threat
Read full article: R. Kelly's manager faces trial over theater-emptying threatThe trial of R. Kelly’s manager has opened on charges that he forced the cancellation of a screening of a documentary about the singer’s sexual abuse of women and girls by calling in a threat to the crowded Manhattan theater.
Disgraced R&B star R. Kelly back in Chicago for sex trial
Read full article: Disgraced R&B star R. Kelly back in Chicago for sex trialR. Kelly has returned to the federal jail in downtown Chicago ahead of his trial on child pornography and obstruction-of-justice charges, just two weeks after the disgraced R&B star was sentenced in New York to 30 years in prison for racketeering and sex trafficking.
Feds: R. Kelly remains on suicide watch ‘for his own safety’
Read full article: Feds: R. Kelly remains on suicide watch ‘for his own safety’Federal authorities are pushing back on claims that R. Kelly was placed on suicide watch as a form of punishment last week after a judge sentenced him to 30 years behind bars for using his fame to sexually abuse young girls.
EXPLAINER: How will R. Kelly sentence impact other trials?
Read full article: EXPLAINER: How will R. Kelly sentence impact other trials?R. Kelly could be in his 80s before the singer is free again, based on a 30-year prison term imposed this week by a New York federal judge for sexually abusing young fans.
Prosecutors: R. Kelly should get at least 25 years in prison
Read full article: Prosecutors: R. Kelly should get at least 25 years in prisonProsecutors say R. Kelly, the R&B superstar known for his anthem “I Believe I Can Fly,” deserves at least 25 years behind bars for sexually abusing women and girls.
Bill Cosby lawyers cry foul as civil sex assault trial looms
Read full article: Bill Cosby lawyers cry foul as civil sex assault trial loomsWith less than a week to go before a civil trial, Bill Cosby's lawyers are crying foul over a change in the story of a woman who alleges he sexually assaulted her at the Playboy Mansion.
R. Kelly's Chicago trial on federal sex charges set Aug. 1
Read full article: R. Kelly's Chicago trial on federal sex charges set Aug. 1A federal judge has ordered R&B superstar R. Kelly to stand trial in Chicago on child pornography and obstruction of justice charges next year after the scheduled sentencing for his conviction in an earlier sex trafficking trial in New York.
In R. Kelly verdict, Black women see long-overdue justice
Read full article: In R. Kelly verdict, Black women see long-overdue justiceAccusers and others demanding accountability for R&B superstar R. Kelly over allegations that he was abusing young women and girls for decades say it took so long to get to a guilty verdict in part because his targets were Black.
R. Kelly's life, from troubled talent to trafficking trial
Read full article: R. Kelly's life, from troubled talent to trafficking trialR. Kelly grew up in Chicago's housing projects and went on to have an illustrious musical career increasingly clouded by allegations of lurid behavior and sexual abuse.
Prosecutors wrap up as R Kelly trial moves into next stage
Read full article: Prosecutors wrap up as R Kelly trial moves into next stageProsecutors at the R. Kelly sex trafficking trial ended their case after calling dozens of witnesses over the past month who detailed the government’s sweeping allegations against the singer in lurid detail.
R. Kelly behavior mirrors abuse tactics, expert witness says
Read full article: R. Kelly behavior mirrors abuse tactics, expert witness saysProsecutors are inching closer to concluding their case at the R. Kelly sex-trafficking trial, calling two final witnesses to try to further cement allegations he groomed young victims for unwanted sex and psychological torment in episodes dating to the 1990s.
Prosecutors: Tapes capture R. Kelly threatening his victims
Read full article: Prosecutors: Tapes capture R. Kelly threatening his victimsProsecutors want a New York City jury at the R. Kelly sex-trafficking trial to hear profane video and audio recordings they say demonstrate how he threatened his victims with violence.
Witness says R. Kelly kept her locked up before sex assault
Read full article: Witness says R. Kelly kept her locked up before sex assaultA former radio station intern says R&B singer R. Kelly kept her locked in a darkened room for days before sexually assaulting her while she was unconscious in 2003.
Witness testifies R. Kelly paid $200,000 to settle STD suit
Read full article: Witness testifies R. Kelly paid $200,000 to settle STD suitA woman has testified that R&B singer R. Kelly paid $200,000 to settle a lawsuit she brought accusing him of giving her herpes two decades ago without disclosing he had it.
R. Kelly accuser says he kept gun nearby while berating her
Read full article: R. Kelly accuser says he kept gun nearby while berating herOne of R. Kelly’s accusers has told a jury that he kept a gun by his side while he berated her before forcing her to give him oral sex in a Los Angeles music studio.
Scenes from Week 2 of the R. Kelly sex-trafficking trial
Read full article: Scenes from Week 2 of the R. Kelly sex-trafficking trialThe second week of the R. Kelly sex-trafficking trial in New York City proved to be an exercise by the government in trying to paint the “I Believe I Can Fly” R&B star as a man-child control freak.
Witness: R. Kelly made victims write fake blackmail letters
Read full article: Witness: R. Kelly made victims write fake blackmail lettersA woman has testified that R&B hitmaker R. Kelly’s forced her and his other girlfriends to write fake blackmail letters that he wanted to have in hand in case he was ever charged with sexually abusing them.
Ex-tour manager testifies against R. Kelly about Aaliyah
Read full article: Ex-tour manager testifies against R. Kelly about AaliyahA former tour manager for R. Kelly has testified that he paid a $500 bribe to get the singer, Aaliyah, a fake ID so Kelly could secretly marry her in 1994 when she was 15 years old.
Woman weeps while testifying against R. Kelly about assault
Read full article: Woman weeps while testifying against R. Kelly about assaultA key accuser at the R. Kelly sex-trafficking trial has resumed testimony, weeping when she was asked to read from a journal entry describing how he allegedly beat and choked her the last time they were together.
Years in the making, R. Kelly sex abuse trial gets underway
Read full article: Years in the making, R. Kelly sex abuse trial gets underwayA prosecutor has introduced a jury to the sex abuse claims against R&B star R. Kelly, saying the criminal trial was “about a predator" who used his fame to manipulate children and women.
After years of suspicion, reckoning for high-flying R. Kelly
Read full article: After years of suspicion, reckoning for high-flying R. KellyMost people know him for “I Believe I Can Fly,” the 1996 sing-along hit that became an inspirational anthem played at school graduations, weddings and advertisements.
Jury of 7 men, 5 women to hear R Kelly sex trafficking case
Read full article: Jury of 7 men, 5 women to hear R Kelly sex trafficking caseR&B star R. Kelly will face an anonymous jury made up of seven men and five women when his New York City sex trafficking trial goes forward next week with opening statements.
Prosecutors air more claims in R. Kelly case; 1 involves boy
Read full article: Prosecutors air more claims in R. Kelly case; 1 involves boyFederal prosecutors in R. Kelly’s sex trafficking case say he had sexual contact with an underage boy in addition to girls, and the government wants jurors in his upcoming sex trafficking trial to hear those claims.
R. Kelly's lawyer wants trial delayed due to jail quarantine
Read full article: R. Kelly's lawyer wants trial delayed due to jail quarantineR. Kelly’s new lawyers are asking a judge to postpone his Aug. 9 sex trafficking trial in New York City, arguing they haven’t had enough time to prepare because he’s under a mandatory jail quarantine.
Streets renamed for Isley Brothers in 2 New Jersey towns
Read full article: Streets renamed for Isley Brothers in 2 New Jersey townsTwo New Jersey towns have renamed streets in honor of the Isley Brothers, the legendary R&B group that behind songs including “Shout,” “Twist and Shout” and “It's Your Thing.”.
Left out of MeToo: New initiative focuses on Black survivors
Read full article: Left out of MeToo: New initiative focuses on Black survivorsTarana Burke, founder and leader of the #MeToo movement, stands in her home in Baltimore on Oct. 13, 2020. A coalition of three groups vital to the #MeToo movement is collaborating on an initiative to focus on a population that has often felt left out of the conversation: Black survivors of sexual violence. (AP Photo/Steve Ruark, file)It’s been more than three years since the #MeToo movement launched a culture-shifting conversation about sexual violence. In a statement, the groups said they were working together to create safe spaces for Black survivors; to confront narratives "that harm and silence Black survivors;" and lastly to come up with new practices that will help get Black survivors “believed, heard, and supported.”Burke said the most important immediate impact will simply be that a national conversation is being had. AdAmong the initiative's concrete plans: narrative research; conversation guides; a five-part event series; and “rapid-response tools” to support Black survivors who come forward.
Country artist Cam confronts hard truths on 'The Otherside'
Read full article: Country artist Cam confronts hard truths on 'The Otherside'Country singer Cam poses in Nashville, Tenn., on Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2020 to promote her second album The Otherside. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The five-year journey between albums for country singer Cam was an evolution in coming to grips with hard truths about a music industry that had left her a bit bruised but not broken. But two years ago, Cam decided to walk away from Sony Nashville’s imprint Arista citing different values, but remaining under Sony on the RCA Record label based in New York. The title track, a meticulously crafted country dance track, was co-written with acclaimed Swedish dance artist Avicii, whose real name was Tim Bergling. She knew what she was getting into when she heard Smith’s easily recognizable voice on the demo for “Happier For You,” a melancholic country song that fit well with Cam's aesthetic of moody and introspective country tunes.
Appeals court agrees R&B singer R. Kelly should stay jailed
Read full article: Appeals court agrees R&B singer R. Kelly should stay jailedNEW YORK R. Kelly can remain behind bars awaiting multiple trials on child pornography and other charges in three states, an appeals court in New York said Tuesday as a lawyer for the R&B singer cited another inmate's attack on Kelly last month as one reason he should receive bail. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan upheld a decision by a Brooklyn federal judge to deny bail to Kelly, 53, who remains in a federal jail in Chicago. The 2nd Circuit said prosecutors had proven both and that no condition or combination of conditions could assure against those risks. The appeals court said the lower court also did not err in finding Kelly failed to demonstrate a compelling reason for temporary release. In a court filing in Chicago federal court Friday, Leonard wrote that Kelly sustained unspecified injuries when he was attacked at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Chicago in late August by another inmate. A bail application is pending in Chicago, though the 2nd Circuit ruling would keep him behind bars even if he won bail in Illinois.
Kelly's lawyers want to question gang member in cell attack
Read full article: Kelly's lawyers want to question gang member in cell attackCHICAGO Attorneys for R. Kelly want to question a convicted member of the Latin Kings gang who says he beat up the jailed R&B singer in a Chicago cell. Kellys lawyers filed a motion Friday in federal court to question Jeremiah Farmer under oath, the Chicago Tribune reported. Farmer, 39, is facing mandatory life in prison in a racketeering conspiracy that involved a 1999 double murder, according to the newspaper. It appears that MCC personnel simply followed Mr. Farmer, allowed him to carry out the attack, and then only intervened after Mr. Kelly had already sustained serious injuries, Kellys attorney Michael Leonard wrote in the motion. Kellys attorneys have been trying to have him released on bond pending his trial.
Black National Convention puts spotlight on police brutality
Read full article: Black National Convention puts spotlight on police brutalityBlack Lives Matter activists are holding a virtual Black National Convention Friday, Aug. 28, to adopt a political agenda calling for slavery reparations, universal basic income, environmental justice and legislation that entirely re-imagines criminal justice reforms. Anyone who is watching, who is both enraged or looking for action, will find a space" in the Black National Convention, Byrd said. The Black National Convention was originally planned to take place in-person in Detroit, the nations Blackest major city. Fridays convention is expected to be the largest gathering of Black activists and artists, albeit virtual, since the historic 1972 National Black Political Convention in Gary, Indiana, which concluded with the introduction of a national Black agenda. The Black National Convention broadcast begins after the D.C. march has concluded.
R. Kelly's manager charged with phone threats to theater
Read full article: R. Kelly's manager charged with phone threats to theaterDonnell Russell, 45, of Chicago, was charged with conspiracy and with threatening physical harm by interstate communication. Threats of gun violence aimed at intimidating and silencing victims of sexual abuse are unlawful as well as unacceptable," she said. William F. Sweeney Jr., head of New York's FBI office, said it defies logic that a threat like the one alleged here could stop victims from speaking about their alleged abuse." Kelly remains jailed in Chicago after pleading not guilty to dozens of state and federal sex crime charges in Illinois, Minnesota and New York. The charges range from sexual assault to leading a racketeering scheme aimed at supplying Kelly with girls.