Singer Robert “R.” Kelly’s former manager Donnell Russell was found guilty of calling in a shooting threat to a Manhattan theater in 2018.
Russell was accused of making the call because he was fretting that the theater’s hosting of the Surviving R. Kelly documentary could have dealt a blow to his bottom line. A federal grand jury convicted him on one count of threatening physical harm by interstate communication, and he could face up to five years behind bars.
R KELLY REMOVED FROM SUICIDE WATCH, PROCEEDS WITH LAWSUIT
The documentary detailed sexual harassment allegations against the singer. Ultimately, many of those allegations would manifest in court and result in a 30-year prison sentence against the so-called King of R&B.
But at the time, Russell sought to squelch the story, according to prosecutors. On Dec. 4, 2018, Russell called into NeueHouse Madison Square via his home phone in Chicago and told an employee that an individual in the crowd was brandishing a gun and planned to “shoot up” the facility, a jury in Manhattan federal court determined.
Russell made multiple phone calls to the theater that day, including threats of legal action against the facility, prosecutors said. In one of the calls, he warned that the film had infringed upon copyright laws. When that failed, he masked his voice and issued the threat, per prosecutors.
The alleged call succeeded in whipping up a frenzy and prompted an evacuation of the theater — as well as the cancellation of the documentary’s premiere. Multiple women who had levied allegations against Kelly were in attendance at the time.
“He wanted to keep these women quiet, and he succeeded. His threat worked,” prosecutor Lara Pomerantz argued in court, the New York Post reported.
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Defense attorneys for Russell had argued that the evidence was insufficient. Russell is slated to face sentencing on Nov. 21.
The jury also acquitted him of one conspiracy count.
