The FBI are investigating claims that singer R. Kelly broke federal laws by flying a minor across state lines – a federal crime if it was for the purpose of sex.
R. Kelly, real name Robert, allegedly arranged a coast-to-coast trip for Azriel Clary when she was just 17 years old, according to TMZ.
Azriel, whose parent’s believe she is trapped in a ‘sex cult’ with Kelly, was flown from Palm Springs, to Phoenix, to Orlando in May 2015.
The trip was allegedly orchestrated and booked by a woman who claimed to be R. Kelly’s assistant, according to the Clary family.
If proven to be true, Kelly could face federal charges for Azriel’s transportation, as, under the Mann Act, it’s illegal to transport minors across state lines for purposes of sex, prostitution or debauchery.
Kelly could face up to 10 years in prison if he’s found guilty.
FBI are said to be investigating potential federal charges against R. Kelly for transporting Azriel Clary (pictured) across state lines when she was a minor. If convicted, he could face a prison term of up to ten years
After Lifetime’s ‘Surviving R. Kelly’ doc aired earlier this month, the 52-year-old singer has faced a multitude of sexual abuse allegations
The revelation was discovered by FBI this week, less than a month after the Clary’s story was shared in Lifetime’s critically acclaimed documentary ‘Surviving R. Kelly’.
However, sources close to the Chicago-born singer say he believes he’s innocent and has a signed letter from Alice Clary, Azriel’s mother, to prove it.
It reads: ‘We the parents of Azriel Clary give he consent for Azriel to stay with Valerie Denise Payton until December 2015, 12/30/15 in which she will be under her care during the stated time.’
However, the letter is dated September 21, 2015 – five months after the West-to-East coast trip is alleged to have taken place.
Kelly had been travelling across the US that year as part of his Black Panties album tour.
‘Mr. Kelly has not violated the law. Certainly not the Mann Act. The story has flawed factual predicates. Beyond that, we remain unaware of any investigation, anywhere,’ said Kelly’s attorney, Steve Greenburg.
The Clary family say they haven’t heard from or seen Azriel since 2016.
The Clary family say they haven’t seen their daughter since 2016. R. Kelly’s camp claim the singer has a signed consent form from Azriel’s parents, proving he did nothing wrong
In the documentary’s wake, it was also revealed the FBI had been in contact with another alleged victim of sex slavery, Jocelyn Savage.
Timothy Savage revealed to DailyMailTV how his teenage daughter looked like a ‘prisoner’ and ‘screamed like a madwoman’ at the mention of the RnB singer’s name during their disturbing last encounter more than two years ago.
Savage broke down as he voiced his fears about his daughter’s livelihood and described how she’d become a ‘brainwashed’ victim of Stockholm Syndrome.
‘We had to bring attention to this because we thought our daughter was going to end up in the woods somewhere,’ Timothy said.
He said his daughter, who met Kelly when she was 19, has not seen any family in more than two years and even missed the chance to spend the last moments with her beloved grandfather on his deathbed.
The concerned father claimed to have evidence proving Kelly had previously locked women up in his Atlanta and Chicago homes, beat them, forced them to urinate in buckets and stopped them contacting their families.
We’ve used the majority of our savings, everything we have, in order to get our daughter home,’ he said.
The documentary also raised allegations of statutory rape of a child, when a former back-up singer of the 52-year-old alleged she saw having Kelly having sex with a 15-year-old Aaliyah.
Joycelyn, (left and right) an aspiring singer and model, met the RnB singer in 2015 when she was only 19. Kelly’s team had approached the teen about a potential music deal and had flown her and her family to discuss her career
Aspiring singer and model, Joycelyn Savage (pictured far left with R Kelly, her sister and mother). He dad says he has proof that Kelly abused women in his Chicago and Atlanta homes
Joycelyn’s father Timothy Savage, 45, believes the singer has some kind of ‘hold’ on his daughter and says she ‘She ran out the house, screaming like a mad woman’ at the mention of Kelly’s name
Jovante Cunningham claims to have witnessed the then 27-year-old engaging in the activity on a tour bus in 1994.
‘On a tour bus, there really aren’t many confined spaces. When you get on the bus there are bunks and so these bunks have little curtains you can pull at night if you don’t want anybody to see you sleeping,’ Cunningham explained.
‘So it just so happened we were all laying in our bunks and the curtains are open, everybody’s communicating, laughing, when the [room] door flew open on the bus.
‘[And] Robert was having sex with Aaliyah.’
When asked what she saw, Cunningham replied: ‘Things that an adult should not be doing with a child.
‘I can’t stress to you how people are still suffering behind things that went on 20 years ago.’
Victim: In Lifetime’s Surviving R. Kelly, Jovante Cunningham claims to have witnessed the then 27-year-old commit statutory rape on Aaliyah when she was 15 (Aaliyah pictured in 1994)
Kelly was dropped by RCA last week after a series of protests outside the record label’s headquarters in New York urged the Sony-owned company to ‘Mute R. Kelly’ (pictured on January 16)
That same year, in 1994, it was widely reported Kelly and Aaliyah had wedded in a secret ceremony, though the pair both denied it.
Aaliyah cut ties with Kelly after the accusations; she died in a plane crash in 2002 shortly after filming a music video in the Bahamas, aged just 22.
The shocking six-part documentary-series interviews dozens of former friends, family members and colleagues, who all make grim claims about the singer abusing women and young girls.
Last year several women came forward claiming Kelly had been running a sex cult, and in May a woman filed a lawsuit against him claiming that he had treated her like a sex slave.
The woman, who is a former teenage girlfriend of R. Kelly – and is suing him for allegedly giving her herpes – claimed he also videotaped himself having non-consensual sex with her.
He was dropped by RCA last week after a series of protests outside the record label’s headquarters in New York urged the Sony-owned company to ‘Mute R. Kelly’.
R. Kelly denies all allegations.