R Kelly 'got engaged to alleged victim Joycelyn Savage' before he was jailed for sex trafficking

13 July 2022, 12:25

US singer R. Kelly reportedly got engaged to his alleged victim Joycelyn Savage before he was jailed for sex trafficking.

The rapper was sentenced to 30 years in jail last month for creating a scheme to entice and sexually exploit young aspiring singers and underage children.

The relationship between the disgraced 'Ignition' singer, real name Robert Kelly, and one of his alleged victims, Joycelyn Savage, was detailed in a letter Ms Savage sent to a judge before Kelly’s sentencing, according to American news outlet TMZ.

In the court document obtained by the publication, Ms Savage hit back at being labelled as a victim in her letter to Judge Donnelly, stating: "My name is Joycelyn Savage, and I'm Robert Kelly's fiancée..."

In the letter she claimed the couple were "deeply in love" before saying the singer was the "best thing that's ever happened to me".

Read more: R Kelly jailed for 30 years over sex trafficking underage girls

“Thank you for the opportunity to share my experiences,” Ms Savage wrote, according to TMZ.

“My name is Joycelyn Savage, and I’m Robert Kelly’s fiancé[e]. 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.”

Ms Savage moved out of her home in Chicago at the age of 17 to be with R. Kelly.

The family of the disgraced singer's longtime girlfriend were said to be unaware of the engagement, an attorney for Ms Savage's parents, Gerald Griggs, told TMZ.

Mr Griggs also questioned the legitimacy of the pair’s alleged engagement considering Ms Savage didn’t testify about the relationship status under oath, and chose to put it in a letter submitted to the court.

R. Kelly was convicted in September for racketeering and sex trafficking after decades of avoiding criminal responsibility for numerous allegations of misconduct with young women and children.

A jury of seven men and five women found the 55-year-old guilty.

The charges were based on an argument that the entourage of managers and aides who helped the singer meet girls - and keep them obedient and quiet - amounted to a criminal enterprise.

Several accusers testified in lurid detail during the trial, alleging that Kelly subjected them to perverse and sadistic whims when they were underage.

Jurors were shown homemade videos of Kelly engaging in sex acts that prosecutors said were not consensual.

Assistant US Attorney Maria Cruz Melendez argued that Kelly was a serial abuser who "maintained control over these victims using every trick in the predator handbook".

The defence labelled the accusers "groupies" and "stalkers".

LBC has approached one of R. Kelly's lawyers for comment.