R. Kelly told victim her parents sold her for ‘bricks’ of drugs
NEW YORK — R. Kelly told one of his victims that her parents sold her to him for drugs, she testified Tuesday.
“He confided in me that a previous manager named Mase had given my parents a few bricks in exchange for me,” she said at Kelly’s sex trafficking trial in Brooklyn federal court.
The testimony came as the woman, whom the Daily News is referring to as Jane, explained how Kelly would make his live-in girlfriends feel as if their families did not care about them.
“He would say that we were worthless, that we did not mean anything to them,” she said.
The victim continued her testimony from Monday, detailing her physical, emotional and sexual abuse at the hands of Kelly.
She testified that toward the end of her relationship with Kelly, she did an interview with Gayle King on CBS in March 2019 to defend Kelly. But the woman admitted she was lying during the viral interview, she said.
She went on the CBS show with another Kelly girlfriend and described her relationship with him as healthy.
“Were you being truthful when you spoke to Gayle King?” asked Assistant U.S. Attorney Maria Cruz Melendez.
“I was not,” the woman, now 23, responded.
She also noted that Kelly, born Robert Sylvester Kelly, 54, was present in the room and did a distinctive cough to remind his two girlfriends of his presence.
The interview came just months after the Lifetime documentary “Surviving R. Kelly” was released and months before the “I Believe I Can Fly” singer was slapped with federal charges in Chicago and New York.
—New York Daily News
Texas AG’s own agency produces report clearing him of bribery
AUSTIN, Texas — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office released a report Tuesday claiming to clear him of allegations that he repeatedly abused his office to help a campaign donor.
It’s not clear who authored the report or how many work hours or taxpayer dollars went into producing it. The agency did not immediately return a request for comment Tuesday morning.
The 374-page internal report declared all of Paxton’s actions regarding Austin real estate developer Nate Paul “were indeed lawful” and that all allegations against him were “either factually incorrect or legally deficient.” It added there was “no evidence” of a bribe or quid pro quo relationship between Paxton and Paul.
The FBI is investigating the claims, lodged by several senior employees last year, that Paxton was bribed and used his power as attorney general to help Paul, who is a campaign donor. The federal agency has not filed any charges and did not immediately return a request for comment.
Paxton denies the allegations and has pointed back at the eight employees, all of whom resigned or were fired from the agency. Four are now suing Paxton for retaliation, and have accused him of swapping political favors for Paul’s help remodeling his home and getting a job for a woman with whom the attorney general was allegedly having an affair.
In a statement, the accusers’ attorneys said the takeaway from the report is that “although Ken Paxton remains under active federal investigation, the people who still work for Paxton say he did nothing wrong.”
—The Dallas Morning News
Racist postings show students stomping on Black doll
LOS ANGELES — A Monterey County high school is under investigation after district officials were made aware of students posting racist, “disturbing images and videos” on social media.
Students at Salinas High School created the Instagram account Shaniqua.shs, which showcased pictures and videos of a Black baby doll named Shaniqua. The account had 37 posts and more than 70 followers before it was deactivated, but screenshots and recordings captured before the account was taken down continue to circulate online and among students.
The account showcased photos and videos of students posing with the doll, some with racial slurs in the captions. In some videos that have resurfaced, students can be seen stomping on the doll.
At a football game Friday night, more students and parents became aware of the account after the doll was passed around, according to the Mercury News, and Salinas Union High School District officials were made aware of the account by Saturday.
On Sunday, a petition was created on change.org calling for the school to address the situation. Since then, more than 9,800 signatures have been added.
“Students cannot learn and be in a safe environment if they’re surrounded by people who will spread hate toward them because of their skin color,” the petition reads.
—Los Angeles Times
Michael Avenatti’s embezzlement case ruled a mistrial
Michael Avenatti’s embezzlement case resulted in a mistrial Tuesday after a California judge determined evidence wasn’t turned over.
U.S. District Judge James V. Selna said prosecutors failed to provide financial evidence to Avenatti, but also said he didn’t find reason to believe the prosecutors had purposefully committed an offense, Los Angeles news station KTTV reported.
Another trial date is now slated to take place Oct. 12.
The trial centered on allegations that Avenatti, 50, took money from clients as he faced financial issues. He is also accused of using the money on himself, according to the TV outlet.
Tuesday’s mistrial ruling comes less than two months after Avenatti was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison for allegedly attempting to extort Nike.
“I lost my way,” Avenatti said at the time during a Manhattan court appearance. “I betrayed my own values, my friends, my family and myself. I betrayed my profession. I became driven by the things that don’t matter in life.”
—New York Daily News
