R. Kelly Victim From Infamous Rape Tape Filed For Bankruptcy Three Months After Kelly Was Arrested

The victim in R. Kelly’s original child rape tape has filed for bankruptcy just months after the singer was jailed on new charges, The Blast reports.

The Blast has obtained documents that state the victim, who will not be named, filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy due to financial hardship. The victim is the then-underage girl who was seen in the infamous sex rape tape. The video played a pivotal role in Kelly’s 2002 child porn case, which was taped a couple of years before his trial. At the time, Kelly was indicted on 21 counts of child pornography. Police began investigating Kelly after being sent a copy of the tape. The victim refused to speak to police, and she maintained her silence, The Blast reports.

Just like today, Kelly denied all allegations made against him. Kelly’s initial trial started in 2008, but it was delayed for years. In just one day, a jury found him not guilty on all charges. Many rumors are floating around that Kelly was paying the girl off in exchange for her silence.

Kelly’s history of child misconduct was brought back to the limelight with the release of the documentary Surviving R. Kelly. On July 12, 2019, Kelly was arrested on federal charges related to child pornography and kidnapping. The victim filed for bankruptcy on October 22, 2019, in Illinois federal court, according to the outlet.

The victim, who is now 35, filed documents listing $12,425 in assets but says that she has $37,033 worth of debt. The document states that she has an average monthly income of $0. In her name are assets including a 2016 Jeep Patriot worth $11,600, $1,000 in household goods, $350 worth of clothing, $125 in jewelry and $100 worth of personal belongings. Her bank account has $300 in it and $3,800 in a 401k retirement plan, according to The Blast. The victim’s debt ranged from the $6,000 that she owed on the car, which her father co-signed on, and a Capital One credit worth $2,500. She also owes Forever 21 hundreds and a $2,000 debt to Neiman Marcus. In addition, she owes thousands to medicals bills.

The last job the unidentified woman listed was her position as a  Pre-School Teacher at a Chicago childcare center. She’d only been working there for a week, and her monthly income was listed as $1,920. After paying off her expenses, she would be left with $80. The court dropped the victim’s debt and closed her case in February 2020.