UPDATED 2:07 p.m. ET: An insider close to R. Kelly’s ex-assistant Cheryl Mack has alleged that Joycelyn Savage’s mother went with her daughter to see Kelly in 2015, TMZ reports. According to the source, Mack hasn’t worked with Kelly since July 2015 and the two haven’t had any contact since then.
Previously, it was revealed that Kelly purportedly compelled Savage to lie to the cops about their relationship, and Savage’s family thinks they have the evidence to prove that.
According to TMZ, feds investigating Kelly’s sex trafficking probe flew to Atlanta last week to meet with the Savages. The family handed over the evidence, which included digital records from Kelly and his employees, such as old emails and texts between the family and Mack, and audio recordings of Kelly.
Earlier, we reported that Mack allegedly set up a meeting between Savage and Kelly in Oklahoma in 2015. Sources say that the evidence also shows that Mack arranged for Savage to meet Kelly in Palm Springs in 2015. The alleged receipt provided by TMZ shows that flights for Savage and her mother were booked for May, before Mack’s departure in July.
That Palm Springs meeting purportedly led to Savage moving in with Kelly, without her parents knowing. Savage was 19 at the time and has been living with Kelly since then.
R. Kelly’s attorney, Steve Greenberg told TMZ, “We are not going to continue to address anonymous rumors. From now on we are only going to deal with facts.”
See original story below.
R. Kelly’s girlfriend Joycelyn Savage told friends that the singer sexually assaulted her the first time they met, and now her friends have brought the story to federal investigators, The Blast reports.
Sources tell the outlet that Savage was flown out to Tulsa, Oklahoma to meet with Kelly in 2015. Though she was an adult back then, she was an eager singer and was given the opportunity to perform for Kelly during a private meeting. Kelly’s former employee Cheryl Mack purchased the flight for Savage, which Kelly paid for.
According to The Blast, Savage met with Kelly in a hotel room in Oklahoma and sang for him. She was made to undress to her underwear and walk around the room—Kelly then came on to her.
Savage told her voice coach and the woman’s son about the incident later on, detailing how Kelly forced her onto the bed and assaulted her. However, she didn’t want to tell the authorities about the attack.
The voice coach and her son eventually told Savage’s family what happened. The family attempted an intervention to persuade Savage to stop talking to Kelly; it didn’t work and Savage soon entered into a relationship with the singer.
The Blast reports that the two friends spoke with federal investigators this week and supplied evidence that corroborated Savage’s story. One piece of evidence is an audio recording of a phone call between Savage and the voice coach, where Savage explains the “control Kelly has taken over her life,” the outlet writes. The coach also has a recording of a three-way call between herself, Savage, and Kelly, where Kelly assesses the girl’s singing abilities and her career. The Savage family has handed over copies of the plane tickets that Mack allegedly bought to authorities.
During his interview with Gayle King on March 6, Kelly denied allegations that he’s taken advantage of Savage by feigning interest in her career, and said they met because she was a fan.
Savage’s family wanted to press criminal charges for the alleged sexual assault that took place in Tulsa. But since Savage was the only witness and has made it apparent she won’t assist in the investigation, the family can’t pursue charges.
Still, the evidence provided by the voice coach and her son will help bolster the case against Kelly and strengthen a criminal indictment.
According to the Associated Press, Cook County Associate Judge Lawrence Flood has ruled cameras will be allowed in court starting with R. Kelly's hearing on March 22, adding that the disgraced singer's accusers cannot be photographed or filmed without consent. Two of his accusers have made it clear they do not want to be photographed or filmed during the hearings.
