R. Kelly’s Former Manager Jailed for Stalking Abuse Victim

Donnell Russell, R. Kelly’s former manager, has been sentenced to 20 months in prison for stalking and harassing one of the singer’s abuse victims.

The Ex-manager was sentenced after pleading guilty in July to using threats, harassment and intimidation to silence one of Kelly’s victims. He reportedly used an alias to publish explicit photos of the woman online in an attempt to stop her from testifying against the singer.

Kelly was convicted in 2021 on sex trafficking and racketeering charges and was charged to 30 years in prison.

Russell reportedly used “reprehensible” tactics against the victim and her mother, after she filed a civil case against Kelly in 2018.

According to BBC, Russell’s lawyers argued that he should not receive jail term on the premise that he had “led an exemplary life” before ‘crossing the line in his attempts to curry favor with Robert Kelly”.

However, prosecutors argued that it was important to show victims that the law is on their side. “If the victims are concerned that this type of conduct will not be adequately punished, it could chill victims from pursuing legal remedies and from cooperating with law enforcement investigations”, said the prosecutors.

Prior to the stalking charges, Russell had been convicted in July after calling in a gunfire threat on a Manhattan theatre that was about to premiere the surviving R. Kelly documentary, forcing its cancellation.

visit www.africanpridemagazine.com for more stories