First man to accuse R Kelly of sexual abuse testifies in court

R Kelly's alleged crimes now extend beyond just the claims of women

The first man to publicly accuse R Kelly of sexual misconduct testified at the R&B artist's trial over federal sex crimes on Monday, telling the court that Robert Sylvester Kelly sexually assaulted him repeatedly when he was just 17 years old. Testifying under the pseudonym "Louis," the man said that he met the singer in 2006 while working an overnight shift at a McDonald's drive-thru in Chicago, the Insider reported. Kelly, who was 39 at the time, apparently asked for the phone number of Louis' female manager and gave a slip of paper with his own phone number to Louis to thank him. Being an aspiring musician himself, Louis texted Kelly and was ultimately invited to one of the singer's music studios to play some music he had worked on. However, "he let the song play for only five seconds and he said he didn't like it," Louis said. Louis left the studio but continued to text Kelly and later saw him at a gym around the corner from the McDonald's where he worked in Markham, Illinois. He went on to be regularly invited to Kelly's home for parties and to play basketball with the singer, despite the disappointing first business encounter. Kelly ultimately invited him to a home studio but when he arrived, they met in a detached garage where he had gym equipment and a boxing ring. "He asked me what I was willing to do for music," and I listed off ways I could assist Kelly including carrying his bags, Louis said. "He asked me if I had any fantasies," adding, "You never had fantasies about men?" Louis said no and then Kelly proceeded to "crawl down on his knees and proceeded to give me oral sex. He zipped my pants down and he started doing it," Louis alleged.

Federal prosecutors have accused R. Kelly of numerous sex crimes, saying he directed people to produce women for sex before abusing them. Kelly has pleaded not guilty to all of the charges against him. The indictments identify two men who prosecutors say Kelly sexually abused and over a dozen women. Four of those women have already testified in Kelly's trial, all of them citing a similar story about being aspiring artists. In Louis' case, he testified that he told the singer to stop and after Kelly stepped back, he swore him to secrecy, adding, "We're brothers now." The pair continued to see each other. Louis hoped to get a shot at his music career but claimed that Kelly sexually abused him on subsequent occasions and even recorded them. Louis is one of several alleged victims to claim R. Kelly demanded they call him "daddy" during filmed encounters since his indictment began in 2019.