Three more accusers testified against R. Kelly before prosecutors rested their case on Tuesday during the third week of the singer’s federal trial in Chicago.
In his latest trial, Kelly is accused of producing videos of child sexual abuse and attempting to recover footage potentially proving he sexually abused underage victims. Two of them, “Pauline” and “Tracy,” were protected by pseudonyms as they recounted their allegations Monday, Rolling Stone reported.
Pauline said she was 14 when her friend “Jane” ― who testified earlier this month that Kelly abused her “hundreds” of times before she was 18 ― brought her to his home. Pauline testified she walked in on Kelly kneeling in front of her naked friend and that Kelly claimed he was combing her body for bruises.
She said Kelly urged the two girls to kiss before the three engaged in sexual petting and oral sex, and that the incident wasn’t isolated. Pauline said these encounters, during which Kelly allegedly gave them alcohol, occurred at one of his homes, at his Chicago Trax recording studio, and on his tour bus in multiple states.
She said Kelly had sex with her when she was 15.
Tracy said she was a 16-year-old record label intern when she met Kelly in 1999. She said she initially declined his advances after being invited to his studio, but returned at a later date alongside her friend. Tracy said she told Kelly she was 16 before they started kissing, and he began masturbating.
Tracy said Kelly “forced himself” on her in a hotel room the following week and had sex with her at his studio in the summer. She also detailed an alleged sexual encounter with Jane and Kelly during which she said she cried and Kelly told her “to stop being a baby” while he recorded the ordeal.
Another accuser testified Tuesday under the pseudonym “Nia.” She said she met Kelly at an Atlanta mall in 1996 when she was a minor and the singer gave her his phone number. Nia said she told Kelly she was 15 during their third conversation. A few weeks later, he invited her to his concert.
Nia said she was picked up in a limousine and taken to the Atlanta airport where she was given a “code” to board a plane for Kelly’s Minneapolis performance, as she had no passport or ID at the time. She said she was then taken to a hotel where Kelly asked her to undress the following day.
Kelly then allegedly fondled her and masturbated before asking Nia to meet him in Chicago at a later date. She said Kelly sexually abused her in his studio there in the summer before he abandoned all contact. She was the last in a long line of witnesses before prosecutors rested their case.
Judge Harry Leinenweber said proceedings will resume Thursday, when the defense will call witnesses as Kelly’s trial continues.
In the current trial, Kelly is also facing other sexual abuse charges, as well as allegations he fixed a 2008 trial in Illinois. In June, the singer was convicted of sex trafficking and racketeering in a separate trial in New York and sentenced to 30 years in prison.
Need help? Visit RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Online Hotline or the National Sexual Violence Resource Center’s website.