One of the women involved in the case against R. Kelly claims she is engaged to the singer.
In a letter she sent to Judge Ann Donnelly last month, Joycelyn Savage identified herself as Kelly’s fiancée.
“I'm writing this letter in support of Robert in advance of his sentencing, so I can explain to the court that I'm not the victim that the government has portrayed me to be,” she wrote. “My relationship with Robert is amazing. He's the best thing that's ever happened to me. We have a very special connection and are deeply in love.
“I still support Robert to this day because I love him and will always be here to support him.”
Savage, 26, said she is not the victim prosecutors made her out to be and insisted Kelly, 55, is “not the monster that the government has described him to be.”
Donnelly ended up sentencing Kelly to 30 years behind bars. “Although sex was certainly a weapon that you used, this is not a case about sex," she told him. "It’s a case about violence, cruelty and control.”
Kelly, was convicted last September in New York City of one count of racketeering – which included 14 underlying acts including sexual exploitation of a child, kidnapping and bribery – and eight counts of sex trafficking. Nine women and two men testified during the six-week trial about how Kelly used his fame to lure them with promises of helping them in the music business.
Kelly faces another trial on sex crimes in Illinois that is scheduled to get underway in August. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
R. Kelly: iHeartRadio.ca Music News Coverage
Savage has previously said she is not one of Kelly’s victims and that her parents were simply trying to get money from the R&B star.
A lawyer for Savage’s parents Timothy and Jonjelyn told TMZ she never mentioned being engaged to Kelly and “strongly doubt” it’s true.
Reached for comment by EW, Kelly’s lawyer said: “Don't you have something more important to f**king report on?”
Kelly is a successful Grammy-winning R&B artist best known for hits like “I Believe I Can Fly,” “Bump n’ Grind” and “Ignition (Remix).” He also did collaborations with a long list of artists, including Canada’s Céline Dion and Justin Bieber and produced several tracks for Michael Jackson and acts like B2K, Toni Braxton and Whitney Houston.