On Monday, R. Kelly’s former manager was given a year in federal prison for his shooting threat that prevented the screening of the controversial documentary on the disgraced R&B singer.
According to reports, former manager Donnell Russell will not receive additional punishment because he is already serving time for another attempt to stop Kelly’s sexual abuse claims.
In his testimony to a Manhattan federal judge, Russell admitted that during his brief relationship with the Grammy-winning singer, he “made bad judgments.”
“I’m not a horrible person,” Russell said.
He claimed that he met Kelly again after having known him for many years, during the time the singer was dealing with an increasing number of allegations that led to his conviction for sex trafficking and racketeering last year.
Russell said he approached Kelly about intellectual property matters that could bring the performer money to pay his legal fees.
According to prosecutors, Russell also assisted Kelly in suppressing the abuse allegations by intimidating at least one accuser, threatening to sue over Lifetime’s “Surviving R. Kelly” series, and calling in the warning that got the documentary’s 2018 Manhattan premiere shut down.
“I was happy that it ended. I didn’t question how it ended,” Russell said in court, adding that he recognizes that people have “a moral obligation” to handle things properly.
The prosecution linked Russell to the case based on phone records and a text he sent indicating that police were in the area.
In July, a jury found Russell guilty of threatening physical harm through interstate communication but not guilty of conspiracy.
Russell entered a guilty plea to an interstate stalking charge concerning one of Kelly’s sexual assault allegations a few days after the judgment. Last month, he was given a 20-month prison sentence for acts that included sending threatening texts to a woman and later posting her intimate pictures online.
In order to serve his terms in both cases simultaneously, Russell, 47, is expected to surrender himself to authorities next year.
During sentencing, U.S. District Judge Paul Gardephe said Russell had engaged in “serious criminal conduct” in “a misguided attempt to protect someone who was a prolific abuser.”
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