R. Kelly's circle of enablers are coming under fire after a report details how his close acquaintances helped him recruit and maintain underage women.
According to the Associated Press, after being charged with multiple counts of sexual abuse, it became news that more than 10 of his associates could be exposed to criminal liability for their silence in these cases. During a phone interview with the publication, Michael Avenatti—a lawyer for two Kelly accusers—explained how the singer "depended heavily" on other to help manage his perversions. It is alleged that these people targeted underage girls for Kelly as well as transported them and paid their families off.
"[Kelly] could not have accomplished this for 28 years without the assistance of others who looked the other way because they didn’t want the R. Kelly gravy train to end," Avenatti told the AP.
Although it is believed that these people are just as guilty as Kelly, depending on where the abuse took place, they might not receive any criminal charges. Even though all 50 states require certain professional positions to report any signs of abuse under the law, only a fraction of states require every adult to do the same. Where Kelly resides in Illinois is not one of those states.
Despite this, the Chicago courts are looking into the inner workings of Kelly's circle to see if any other laws were broken in sustaining this ring.
When asked about the possibility of legal action against Kelly's team, the singer's lawyer Steve Greenberg declined to comment directly. He stated that his client is "constrained by the canons of ethics" from speaking on the actions of others.
