An attorney for R&B Singer R. Kelly says some of the victims accusing the singer of sex crimes have “buyers remorse.”
In an exclusive interview with Law&Crime founder Dan Abrams, attorney Steve Greenberg also says some of the women accusing R. Kelly are lying.
WATCH the interview in the player above.
Greenberg also admitted that with seven cases on the docket against his client, “obviously the law of averages is going to catch up with us at some point.” He immediately added, “in many of these cases with many of these allegations, these were people ecstatic to be with R. Kelly.”
Prosecutors in Minnesota this week announced two new charges against R. Kelly for engaging in prostitution with a minor. According to the Minnesota criminal complaint, R. Kelly met a victim when she was between the ages of 16 and 17 at fan meet-and-greet in the Minneapolis area in July 2001. He brought her to his hotel room, paid her $200 to dance, and engaged in sexual acts with her, the complaint alleges.
Greenberg tweeted out the latest charges are an “abuse of prosecutorial discretion”.
The R&B singer remains in federal custody in New York after a judge denied him bail on charges there. The judge called Kelly an “extreme danger to the community.”
Federal prosecutors in the Eastern District of New York accused Kelly of racketeering involving the sexual exploitation of children, kidnapping, forced labor, and other violations. Meanwhile, prosecutors with the Northern District of Illinois accused Kelly of child pornography and obstruction of justice.
Greenberg says it would have been lawful for Kelly and the alleged 17-year-old victim to have had sex under Minnesota law.
“She didn’t complain about it ever,” Greenberg told Abrams. “It’s this sort of buyer’s remorse”
Greenberg elaborated that in many of the cases, the accusers were “ecstatic” to be with R. Kelly but are in hindsight re-purposing the encounters.
Abrams cut back at the suggestion.
“In many of these cases, you’re talking about girls, not women. When you talk about buyer’s remorse, a girl can’t consent legally,” Abrams noted.
Greenberg said if an accuser lied about her age, then any offense alleged to have been committed by Kelly is not a strict liability offense.
Greenberg added there have been no talks about plea deals.
He made the comments on the Daily Debrief. The broadcast covers major legal events and recaps critical moments from court trials and hearings nationwide. It is broadcast on the Law&Crime Network Monday through Friday from 5:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Eastern.
[Photo by E. JASON WAMBSGANS/AFP/Getty Images.]