A man who described himself as the self-styled manager and advisor to disgraced R&B singer R. Kelly pleaded guilty in federal court Thursday to stalking and harassing one of Kelly’s sexual abuse victims.
According to a Department of Justice release, Donnell Russell (47) was charged with interstate surveillance and used text messages, email and phone calls to harass and intimidate Jane Doe, the victim. Russell faces up to five years imprisonment when he is sentenced on November 17.
“Russell used threats, harassment and intimidation in a deliberate effort to silence one of R. Kelly’s victims and prevent her voice from being heard,”In a statement, United States Attorney Breon Frieden said. “When his initial effort failed, he continued his vile campaign by sending threatening messages to Jane Doe and her mother, and publishing explicit photos of the victim on the internet before and after Kelly was indicted. As this prosecution makes clear, the defendant’s conduct was not only reprehensible, but it was also criminal and will not be tolerated.”
Russell’s guilty plea comes less than a week after he was convicted on charges stemming from a gun threat he made aimed at disrupting a New York City screening of Lifetime’s bombshell six-part docuseries Surviving R. Kellyin Dec. 2018.
Russell threatened to publish sexy explicit photos of Doe from November 2018 through February 2020 if Doe didn’t withdraw her civil case against her. “Pull the plug or you will be exposed,”In a January 3, 2019 text, he wrote this. Russell also created a Facebook page under an alias. “Surviving Lies” — a deliberate play on Surviving R. Kelly— where he posted the same explicit photos and text messages between himself and the victim. He also appeared on two livestreams early 2020 in support of Kelly, while demeaning Doe.
“Through the use of intimidation tactics, Russell repeatedly and purposefully worked to silence ‘Jane Doe’ from revealing the emotional and physical trauma inflicted on her by R. Kelly and his associates,”Ricky J. Patel, Acting Special Agent-in Charge Homeland Security Investigations. “Despite multiple threats, Russell ultimately failed in his efforts and will now face the consequences of his despicable behavior.”