R. Kelly trial update: Mom of alleged child pornography victim testifies at Chicago courthouse

Leah Hope Image
Monday, August 22, 2022
Mom of alleged child porn victim testifies at Chicago R. Kelly trial
The mom of an alleged child pornography victim testified against R. Kelly in his trial at the Dirksen Federal Building in Chicago's Loop.

CHICAGO (WLS) -- The federal trial against R&B star R. Kelly went into its second week at the Dirksen Federal Building.

On Monday, a woman who said she lied years ago testified against him.

Kelly, already convicted in a New York court for racketeering and sex trafficking, is accused of creating child pornography and trying to escape prosecution by paying off the victim and her family.

SEE ALSO | R. Kelly jury views graphic videos of alleged sexual encounters with a minor

In 2008, Kelly was tried and acquitted for child pornography in a Cook County case. In that trial, the teenager in a video did not cooperate with prosecutors.

But last week, a woman testifying under a fake name "Jane" told jurors she was the 14-year-old in three pornographic videos with Kelly.

On Monday, an IRS agent testified that he analyzed financial and travel documents related to Kelly and his businesses, finding thousands of dollars paid to Jane and her parents, as well as a car.

Jane's mother, known to jurors as "Susan," was called to testify late Monday.

She told jurors Kelly was Jane's godfather, but thought it was "kinda strange" because Jane already had godparents.

Susan testified that Jane began spending more time with Kelly and his family, telling jurors, "she said she was going to make some music with him."

"R. Kelly was saying he was sorry and crying. He didn't admit it, but he was saying he was sorry,"' she said. "Kelly said we needed to leave town right away...and they said, 'are you with us, or against us?'"

Susan told the jurors Kelly paid for her, her husband and daughter to leave the country for nearly two months.

At one point, Susan said even though she recognized her daughter on the video, she lied to a grand jury.

"Because we feared for our lives. We were intimidated. We wanted to make sure our daughter was safe," she said when asked why she lied. "Before, I lied. I'm telling the truth now."

Under cross examination, Susan told the jury about her immunity deal with federal prosecutors and that Kelly never personally threatened her.