The woman who posted R. Kelly’s bond appealed in court on Tuesday for the $100,000 fee to be returned to her.
Valencia Love, a business owner in Chicago and “friend” of the R&B singer, paid bond in February for Kelly’s temporary release and revealed that she intended to use any refunded money to support Kelly’s team with expenses.
According to the Chicago Sun Tribune, Love’s lawyer John Collins filed a four page motion asking for her money to be returned to her. Complex reported that Love paid “four installments of $25,000 in order to have him released from Cook County State jail just two nights after he turned himself in”.
Given Kelly was arrested on federal charges without bond a few months after she had paid for his release, Collins argued that her bond payment was made redundant and should be returned to her - especially as she didn’t know about additional investigations.
He said via WBEZ91.5 Chicago, “There’s been a substantial change in circumstances. She didn’t know that New York was gonna indict, she didn’t know that Minnesota was gonna indict. She didn’t know that Northern District of Illinois was gonna indict.”
Collins also said that Love worried she was “in jeopardy of losing that money”, as well as the fact that her money may be used to pay for Kelly’s attorney fees at the end of the singer’s case.
Love and Collins appealed to Cook County Judge Lawrence Flood, who rejected the appeal and claimed via Chicago Sun Tribune that “there was no legal basis for it”.
He continued, “There’s a certain risk that a surety has in signing a bond slip on behalf of someone in custody. She took that risk.”
R. Kelly is facing a number of charges of sexual assault, minor abuse, racketeering, obstruction of justice and child pornography, both on a state and federal basis. He has denied all charges against him, most notably in an interview with Gayle King on CBSN where he screamed into a camera and began beating his chest.
Speaking to Chicago Sun Times on Tuesday, Love revealed that R. Kelly had already paid her back and characterised her bond payment as “basically a loan”. She said, “He wasn’t able to get to his money because it was the weekend and he was the only one who had access to his account.”
“Why is it such a big deal? He’s already locked up,” Love said. “Why can’t the bail money be returned?”
Despite her attorney claiming Love was concerned about her bond payment being used to fund Kelly’s defence, Love rendered his argument redundant by revealing to the Chicago Sun Times that she wanted to use any returned bond money for exactly that reason.
Love maintains Kelly’s innocence and said, “At no point have I ever supported a paedophile. He has not been convicted yet. Why is it so bad that I did a favour for a friend?”
After posting bond for Kelly in February, Love was met with widespread criticism on the internet and her businesses were review-bombed on Yelp by protestors. She owns a number of restaurants in Chicago, as well as a Christian daycare centre in the area.
Kelly’s Chicago trial is set to begin on April 27, 2020.
