“Audrey Strauss, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and William F. Sweeney Jr., the Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (‘FBI’), announced today that DONNELL RUSSELL, manager of music recording artist Robert Sylvester Kelly, better known as ‘R. Kelly,’ was charged in two counts with threatening physical harm by interstate communication, and conspiracy to do the same, for placing a threatening phone call to a theater in Manhattan to prevent the December 4, 2018, screening of a docuseries exploring allegations of R. Kelly’s sexual abuse of minor girls and adult women. RUSSELL is expected to make his initial appearance later today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Ona T. Wang.”
“Acting U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said: ‘As alleged, Donnell Russell used threats of violence to stop a screening of a docuseries devoted to exploring allegations of sexual abuse against women and minor girls by the recording artist R. Kelly. By allegedly threatening a shooting at the theater, Russell prevented the screening, which was attended by a number of R. Kelly’s alleged victims. Threats of gun violence aimed at intimidating and silencing victims of sexual abuse are unlawful as well as unacceptable. We are committed to aggressively investigating and prosecuting such crimes'” says a press release from the Southern District of New York.