Last month, Lifetime aired the docuseries “Surviving R. Kelly,” which detailed years of allegations of abuse involving young and underage girls. Investigators have since been looking into the claims.
Now, attorney Michael Avenatti says a man he represents turned over a VHS tape to the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office in Chicago last weekend. Avenatti told CNN that the tape allegedly shows R. Kelly with a girl who was underage. He said his client worked for Kelly and has known him for decades, and that the client identified both people on the tape. “My client knows the identity of the girl and R. Kelly,” Avenatti told CNN.
In a written statement, Avenatti described the tape as clear and about 45 minutes long, and said it had not been publicly disclosed or given to law enforcement until recently. He said it is not the same video that was at the center of Kelly’s earlier child pornography case. Kelly was acquitted in that case in 2008. CNN reported that the new recording includes a reference to the girl’s age as 14, though her actual age has not been confirmed. The contents of the tape have not been independently verified.
Kelly’s attorney responded that his team had not been contacted by anyone about new information and had not been contacted by law enforcement. Kelly has denied allegations of abuse.
