R. Kelly’s First Male Accuser Alleges Singer Sexually Abused Him as Teen

The first man to publicly accuse R. Kelly of sexual abuse testified at the singer’s trial in Brooklyn on Monday, Vulture reports.

The man was identified as Louis and claimed that Kelly abused him when he was 17 years old. It was also later revealed that Louis had been arrested for offering money to a potential witness against Kelly, and was testifying as part of a plea agreement with the government.    

Louis said he met Kelly in 2006, when the singer came to a McDonald’s where Louis was working. Kelly asked Louis to give his phone number to a female colleague, while Kelly also gave Louis his phone number as well.

Louis said he aspired to be a musician, and he attended several parties at R. Kelly’s home in Olympia Fields, Illinois. The first time, he went to Kelly’s home with his parents, but during later visits he went alone. He periodically worked on music in Kelly’s studio, though nothing materialized.

During a later visit to Kelly’s residence, Louis claimed that Kelly brought him to a detached garage that was set up like a boxing ring, where the two of them spoke about Louis’ aspirations. Kelly allegedly asked Louis what he was “willing to do for the music,” and Louis said he offered to do “crazy” tasks like carrying Kelly’s bags. Eventually, Louis claimed, Kelly asked him if he had any fantasies.

“I said, I got fantasies,” Louis testified. “I told him I had fantasies of two or three girls at one time. He said, ‘You ever had a fantasy about a man?’ I said no. He crawled down on his knees and proceeded to give me oral sex.”

Louis claimed he told Kelly he “didn’t like it” and “wasn’t into it,” and Kelly stopped. “He just told me, ‘Keep it between me and him. We’re family now. We’re brothers,’ ” Louis said.

Louis continued to attend Kelly’s parties, and claimed that Kelly would record their sexual encounters. He also accused Kelly of making him engage in a sexual encounter with a stranger while Kelly watched. It’s unclear when Kelly and Louis allegedly stopped engaging in sexual activities with each other, though they were in contact until at least 2018.

Later in his testimony, Louis explained that he had been arrested for trying to bribe a potential witness against R. Kelly. Louis said he didn’t know the potential witness was already cooperating with the government and was recording their conversation at the time. Louis said Kelly was not involved with the bribery scheme, but said he offered the witness money so they would “not cooperate with the government.”

Louis later pleaded guilty to attempted bribery and said if he follows the rules of the agreement, the government will write a letter requesting a more lenient sentence to the judge overseeing his case. Louis said he did not want to testify because “it will affect my reputation” in the music industry, where he still hoped to succeed. When asked what Kelly did to help his career, though, Louis replied: “Nothing.”