Renowned R and B singer, R. Kelly has been directed by a Court to pay $300,000 to one of his sexual assault victims.
A federal judge ruled on Wednesday that, she plans to order the poppular superstar R. Kelly to pay more than $300,000 to one of his victims in a decades-long scheme to use his fame to sexually abuse young fans.
According to Court proceedings, a restitution order by U.S. District Judge Ann Connelly that was still being finalized is meant to cover the cost of treatment for herpes and psychotherapy.
The victim, referred to only by a pseudonym, is said to have accused the jailed R. Kelly of giving her the sexually transmitted disease during one of their sexual encounters.
R. Kelly may be on the hook for tens of thousands of dollars more to pay for herpes treatment and counselling for a second victim once the final tally is calculated, meanwhile, the judge has rejected a third claim by another accuser.
R .Kelly reportedly appeared at the hearing in federal court in Brooklyn through a video from a lockup in Chicago, as he only spoke to exchange greetings with the judge and turn down an offer to speak more. None of the victims was in attendance.
Earlier this year, Kelly was sentenced to 30 years in prison following a trial in New York where the jury found him guilty of racketeering and sex trafficking. The second trial in Chicago ended on September 14 with his conviction on charges of producing child pornography and enticing girls for sex.
One of the questions now is when and how the popular singer will pay the restitution as Prosecutors claimed that, he has access to as much as $5 million to go along with about $28,000 seized from his inmate commissary account that defense attorney Jennifer Bonjean said was made up of small donations from fans.
The defense Attorney told the judge that, Kelly has no access to any other funds because of judgments in civil cases brought against him and also insisted that, her client has always been clueless about his finances.
“He’s not the best source of that information,” she said.
Kelly achieved superstar status for work including the 1996 hit “I Believe I Can Fly” and the cult classic “Trapped in the Closet,” a multipart tale of sexual betrayal and intrigue.
