New trial details: R. Kelly bribed a government official to marry an underage singer
New details emerged as Federal prosecutors opened their case against R. Kelly on Wednesday.
At the trial of R&B singer R. Kelly charged for racketeering, abuse and sexual harassment of women, one of the witnesses was his former manager.
Demetrius Smith stated that R. Kelly bribed a government official in 1994 in order to get a fake ID card for the then 15-year-old singer Aaliyah, and then married her.
Smith claims that then 27-year-old R. Kelly paid $500 for a fake document, and added that the decision to procure forged documents was made by his associates after Aaliyah admitted that she was pregnant.
Allegedly, the new ID card said that Aaliyah was 18 years old, and the bribe was paid on August 30, 1994, just a day before the marriage license was issued. R. Kelly and Aaliyah's marriage was annulled a few months later.
Singer Aaliyah tragically died in a plane crash in 2001 when she was just 22 years old. Her debut album was produced by R. Kelly himself.
R. Kelly has been facing accusations of sexual harassment and abuse of women for decades, including many teenage girls. The first witness was Jerhonda Pace, now 28, who testified about six months of alleged abuse she suffered from Kelly.
If R. Kelly is convicted on all counts of the indictment, he could spend several decades in prison.
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By: Sarah R.
