A woman has come forward claiming R. Kelly paid her to keep quite about their relationship, which began when she was underage.
Jerhonda Pace spoke to BuzzFeed’s Jim DeRogatis, the same reporter who revealed the shocking details of Kelly’s alleged sex cult, and revealed that she lost her virginity to Kelly at 16, one year below the age of consent in Illinois.
Pace claims she was contacted by a member of Kelly’s team in 2008 after supporting the singer during his trial for child pornography. For seven months she and Kelly allegedly had a sexual relationship, with Pace revealing, “I had to call him ‘daddy,’ and he would call me ‘baby.’ He wanted me to have two pigtails, and I had to go out and find little schoolgirl outfits.”
The now 24-year-old says she broke off contact when Kelly allegedly slapped, choked, and spit on her, adding she didn’t want to press charges because “it would probably be like it was the last time, where he wouldn’t get convicted,” referring to the singer’s 2008 trial.
Instead, Pace claimed she negotiated a settlement and signed a non-disclosure agreement, which she broke with the new allegations.
All of this comes just a month after Kelly was accused of running an abusive sex cult, as parents of the women allegedly came forward to seek help.
And, while Kelly has yet to respond to these new claims, the singer’s lawyer issued a statement in July saying, “Mr. Robert Kelly is both alarmed and disturbed at the recent revelations attributed to him. Mr. Kelly unequivocally denies such allegations and will work diligently and forcibly to pursue his accusers and clear his name.”