A Dallas woman who alleges she was "being groomed for R. Kelly's sex cult" has filed a police report against the singer over "a sexual assault incident resulting in serious bodily injury."
The woman, who is withholding her identity, claims she was 19 when she first began her alleged 11-month sexual relationship with Kelly in March 2017. In her police affidavit, she said that the singer "knowingly and intentionally infected her with a sexually transmitted disease without her knowledge."
"Our client filed a criminal complaint with the Dallas Police Department identifying Robert 'R.' Kelly as her assailant in a sexual assault incident resulting in serious bodily injury occurring in Dallas, TX," Lee Merritt, the accuser's lawyer, said in a statement.
"During this period, our client was the victim of several forms of criminal misconduct by Kelly, including, but not limited to, unlawful restraint, furnishing alcohol and illegal drugs to a minor, and aggravated assault (via the referenced intentional STD infection)," Merritt claimed. "These offenses occurred while our client was being groomed to join Kelly’s sex cult."
A rep for Dallas Police Department did not immediately reply to a request for comment. A representative for Kelly declined to comment to Rolling Stone on the accusation, though said the singer "categorically denies all claims and allegations" to the Washington Post.
"Kelly gradually introduced the cult to our client over the course of their relationship, culminating with an explanation that she would have to sign a contract and offer collateral information about herself and her family for Kelly’s protection," Merritt claims. "As Kelly’s predatory, controlling and abusive behavior evolved, our client abruptly ended their relationship in February of 2018."
In addition to the criminal complaint, Merritt said his client plans on filing a federal civil complaint against Kelly.
Despite in-depth reports and numerous first-person accounts regarding the abuse women suffer as part of the singer's alleged "sex cult," Kelly has so far avoided any legal issues or police charges in connection to the "cult." In 2002, Kelly was arrested on 21 counts of child pornography in connection to a videotape that allegedly showed him urinating on an underage girl; following a much-delayed trial, Kelly was ultimately found not guilty in 2007.