Two additional women have come forward to accuse musician R Kelly of sexual abuse.
The women, Latresa Scaff and Rochelle Washington, said they were teenagers in Baltimore, Maryland, when Kelly brought them back to his hotel after a concert, exposed himself to them and had sex with Scaff, who was under the influence of alcohol and marijuana.
They spoke publicly for the first time Thursday at a news conference in Manhattan with their high-profile attorney, Gloria Allred. They planned to meet later Thursday with investigators from the office of the US attorney for the eastern district of New York, Allred said.
“It took a heavy toll on me,” said Scaff, now 40. “I feel like I need to be here today to tell what happened to me, because of all the other victims that were affected by it as well.”
Scaff said she was 16 when she and Washington, then 15, went to a concert at a Baltimore arena where Kelly performed with LL Cool J. At an after party at the Baltimore Grand nightclub, they said they were given marijuana and alcohol. Kelly then asked them back to his hotel, where they waited for him in his suite.
A man in Kelly’s entourage asked the girls to pull up their dresses before Kelly entered the room, Scaff said. The singer entered the room with his penis out, asked the girls to dance for him, and put his hand under Scaff’s dress and fondled her, she said. He asked the girls to have a threesome with him, but Washington said no and retreated to a bathroom, her friend said.
“When Kelly was alone with me, he asked me to perform oral sex on him. I was under the influence of marijuana and alcohol and did it. He then had sexual intercourse with me even though I did not have the capacity to consent,” Scaff said.
(August 31, 1994) Marries underage singer Aaliyah
Then 27, Kelly allegedly marries protegée Aaliyah, then 15, in an illegal ceremony in Cook County, Chicago.
(December 16, 1996) Lawsuit from Tiffany Hawkins
Tiffany Hawkins files lawsuit alleging injuries and emotional damage from a three-year relationship with Kelly, beginning when she was 15 - it is settled out of court.
(February 3, 2002) Video emerges appearing to show Kelly engaged in sexual activity with a child
A videotape passed to Chicago Sun Times journalist Jim DeRogatis appears to show Kelly urinating on and having sex with an underage girl, which Kelly denies.
(April 16, 2002) Lawsuit from Patrice Jones
Patrice Jones alleges that Kelly had a sexual relationship with her than began when she was 16, and pressured her into terminating a pregnancy. It is settled out of court for an undisclosed sum.
(May 16, 2002) Lawsuit from Montina Woods
Kelly is sued by dancer Montina Woods for secretly filming a sexual encounter between them. Kelly denies it, and settles out of court.
(June 13, 2007) Kelly cleared of 14 counts of child pornography
A Chicago jury found that the identity of the girl depicted in the child video was not conclusive, acquitting Kelly of the charges.
(January 16, 2009) Divorce from wife Andrea Kelly
Kelly is divorced from his wife Andrea. She had previously taken out, then rescinded, a protection order against him. In 2018 she details a history of alleged domestic violence during their marriage, that she says drove her close to suicide.
(July 17, 2017) BuzzFeed reports that Kelly is holding women in a sex 'cult'
Three former members of Kelly's circle claimed Kelly was holding six women in properties in Chicago and Atlanta, controlling every aspect of their lives. Kelly denied the claims.
(August 22, 2017) Woman accuses Kelly of underage sex and physical abuse
Jerhonda Pace told Rolling Stone that she lost her virginity to Kelly age 16, and that she ended the relationship after he allegedly slapped, choked and spat on her.
(March 28, 2018) Accused of grooming 14-year-old as 'sex pet'
In a BBC3 documentary, former girlfriend Kitti Jones alleged that Kelly groomed an underage girl as well as her and other young women. Kelly refused to comment.
(April 17, 2018) Accused of 'intentionally' infecting women with STD
An unnamed woman told Dallas police that Kelly had given her an STD and attempted to recruit her into his alleged sex "cult" after the pair initiated a sexual relationship when she was 19. Kelly "categorically" denied all allegations.
(May 23, 2018) Kelly responds to #MuteRKelly: 'It's too late'
Video from a private event depicts Kelly apparently describing attempts to suppress his music as "too late".
(July 16, 2018) Kelly releases I Admit
Kelly releases I Admit, a 19-minute song protesting his innocence.
(January 16, 2019) Surviving R Kelly documentary series airs on US television
Numerous women including Andrea Kelly, Jerhonda Pace and Kitti Jones reiterate their allegations in Lifetime docuseries Surviving R Kelly. Prosecutors appeal for any further victims to come forward – three women come forward in the days that follow.
(January 16, 2019) Lady Gaga and Chance the Rapper remove R Kelly collaborations
Lady Gaga and Chance the Rapper apologise for working with R Kelly, and remove their collaborations from streaming services.
Numerous women have accused the R&B singer of violent and controlling behavior, including allegations he had sex with girls as young as 14 and brainwashed young women in what their parents described as a “cult”.
A recently aired documentary, Surviving R Kelly, featured testimonies by a number of women and prompted new investigations into the singer.
Allred said the women were speaking to the US attorney’s office in New York at her recommendation, but did not elaborate on what the office may be investigating.
Kelly has previously denied any wrongdoing. He recorded a song last year professing his innocence, singing: “I’m so falsely accused.”
His attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the new allegations.
The women said they never saw or heard from Kelly again after they left the hotel.
“I can’t get out of my mind what I saw and what happened,” said Washington, now 39. “Now, being a mother with children, I feel I was taken advantage of when I was a teenager.”
Allred represents other R Kelly accusers, including one who said he wrote a letter threatening to reveal embarrassing details of her sexual history if she didn’t drop a lawsuit accusing him of sexual abuse.
“It is time for you to face the consequences of what you have done in our system of justice,” she said, addressing Kelly.
