In 2008, R. Kelly walked away from a child pornography case as a free man. The entertainer was acquitted of 14 counts six years after prosecutors brought charges against him. It only took hours for the jury to declare Kelly's innocence, however. The swift deliberation was the result of manipulation, according to attorney Michael Avenatti.
The lawyer claims "witness intimidation, evidence tampering, physical threats and payments to witnesses" were leveraged to ensure a not guilty verdict. Avenatti has yet to specify why he has come to this conclusion. Kelly's current lawyer, who was not involved in the 2008 case, told TMZ that R. Kelly's legal representation for the case that began in 2002 had the "highest integrity and Avenatti's claims are baseless."
In a recent interview, Carey Kelly revealed he had spoken to his brother shortly after the acquittal. He recalled the singer's reaction to his freedom. "‘God didn’t give me another chance. I gave me another chance. My money gave me another chance.’ Those are the words that he said to me," Carey stated.
Avenatti is proactively working towards bringing R. Kelly back into the court of the law. “Due to the importance of ensuring justice is finally done in this matter and because we are deeply concerned that Mr. Kelly has not been held accountable for his sexual abuse of young African-American girls, whom are especially vulnerable, we have done so on a pro bono basis,” he said in a statement. “Importantly, it has now resulted in the discovery of significant new evidence conclusively establishing Mr. Kelly’s illegal sexual assault of young girls.”
As previously reported, he recently provided a sex tape to legal authorities apparently depicting R. Kelly engaging in sexual activity with a minor. Both Kelly and the girl are said to acknowledge her age in the video. A grand jury has convened to consider the footage.