"I didn't know if I was going to make it through:" R Kelly victim speaks out in Los Angeles

Record ID: 1640946

  • Title: "I didn't know if I was going to make it through:" R Kelly victim speaks out in Los Angeles
  • Date: 8th October 2021
  • Summary: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (OCTOBER 8, 2021) (REUTERS) ATTORNEY GLORIA ALLRED AND R KELLY VICTIM FAITH RODGERS WHO TESTIFIED AT THE SINGER'S CRIMINAL TRIAL SEATED FOR NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) FAITH RODGERS, R KELLY VICTIM, SAYING: "After meeting R. Kelly at 19 years old, for that year and a half, he manipulated me for his own enjoyment and sexually abused me and tried to control me. When I made the choice to come forward with my story, he threatened me on multiple occasions that if I continue to go forward with the telling of my truth, he will publish nude pictures and videos of me. Despite the threats, I continued to tell what happened to me and as a result, R. Kelly retaliated against me and published those photos. Even though he did this, I refused to back down and I still testified at trial. R. Kelly did receive a fair trial, and he was convicted based on the evidence."
  • Embargoed: 22nd October 2021 21:36
  • Keywords: Faith Rodgers R Kelly attorney Gloria Allred victim
  • Location: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES/NEW YORK, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES
  • City: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES/NEW YORK, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: Crime/Law/Justice,Judicial Process/Court Cases/Court Decisions,United States
  • Reuters ID: LVA001EYAV4UF
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: R. Kelly victim Faith Rodgers, who recently testified against the singer at his New York trial, spoke out on Friday (October 8) about the abuse she suffered at the hands of the Grammy-winner musician.
    Addressing reporters at a news conference with attorney Gloria Allred, Rodgers described how she had been "manipulated," "sexually abused and "threatened" by R Kelly, who was convicted of sex trafficking last month.
    "After meeting R. Kelly at 19 years old, for that year and a half, he manipulated me for his own enjoyment and sexually abused me and tried to control me. When I made the choice to come forward with my story he threatened me on multiple occasions that if I continue to go forward with the telling of my truth, he will publish nude pictures and videos of me ... Despite the threats, I continued to tell what happened to me and as a result, R. Kelly retaliated against me and published those photos," Rodgers told reporters.
    "So, the stress of it all, of course, it caused me anxiety, all types of medical problems. I'm in a much better space now, but through it, in that moment. I didn't know if I was going to make it through or how I was going to redeem myself from all this," she added.
    R. Kelly was convicted by a federal jury in September in his sex trafficking trial, where prosecutors accused the singer of exploiting his stardom over a quarter-century to lure women and underage girls into his orbit for sex.
    Kelly's music has largely disappeared from radio and some streaming platforms. His hit record "I Believe I Can Fly" was for years a popular choice at graduation ceremonies.
    (Production: Alan Devall, Omar Younis)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2021. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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