Warning: The following story contains graphic descriptions of sexual abuse.
NEW YORK — The first male witness to speak publicly about alleged sexual abuse at the hands of R. Kelly took the stand on Monday in the singer’s criminal trial. The man testified that over the course of his relationship with Kelly, the R&B singer gave him oral sex, made him have sex with other women and routinely recorded sexual encounters.
The witness, referred to throughout his testimony by the pseudonym “Louis,” is the first man to accuse Kelly of sexual abuse in the trial. Kelly is facing five federal charges, including one count of racketeering and four counts of violating the Mann Act, which prohibits taking minors across state lines for the purpose of prostitution. The R&B singer’s criminal trial began two weeks ago at the Brooklyn Federal Court Building and will likely last at least a month.
Louis’s testimony was different from that of several Jane Does who have painted a harrowing picture of graphic sexual and physical abuse. Louis testified that Kelly never physically abused him but that the singer did try to give him oral sex when he was 17 in Illinois. (The legal age of consent in Illinois is 17, but because Kelly was almost 40 at the time, it constitutes sexual abuse.)
“We had sat down and talked for a while, and he had asked me what I was willing to do for the music,” said Louis, referring to one of the first times he went over to Kelly’s Olympia Fields home outside of Chicago. He recalled telling Kelly that he would carry his bags, among other things, but that answer didn’t satisfy Kelly, according to Louis. Kelly then asked him if he had fantasies.
“‘You ever had a fantasy about you and a man?’ I said ‘no,’” Louis recalled Kelly asking him. “He crawled down on his knees to me and proceeded to give me oral sex.” Louis said he told Kelly he didn’t like it and the singer stopped.
Unlike the majority of past witnesses, it’s unclear if Louis still supports Kelly or if their relationship continues. In 2020, Louis was charged with attempted bribery for trying to pay off a potential witness in the case against Kelly. Louis told the court that Kelly had nothing to do with the $2 million bribe, and Louis was pursuing the witness because he was allegedly going to receive a payment of $200,000. Additionally, Louis said he was trying to bribe the potential witness so that none of the recordings Kelly took of him having sex went public. It’s unclear who was bankrolling the bribe.
Louis pleaded guilty and, as part of his plea deal, was required to testify as a witness in Kelly’s trial on Monday. When asked by prosecutors if he wanted to be there, Louis responded, “No.” Louis said he is facing 15 years in prison for the bribery charge.
Louis met Kelly in 2006 when the witness was a senior in high school working at a McDonald’s outside of Chicago. Louis, who was an aspiring rapper at the time, said he initially linked up with Kelly hoping that the singer could help him get into the music industry. Although Louis did perform for Kelly a few times in the singer’s at-home studio, Louis testified that he mostly played basketball with Kelly and attended the singer’s house parties.
Over the course of their 15-year relationship, Louis said, he and Kelly had many sexual encounters. The majority of the encounters, Louis said, included Kelly coercing Louis into having sex with women, most of whom were dating Kelly at the time. Louis testified that
