Attorney Gloria Allred says her client has discovered another videotape that appears to show R. Kelly sexually abusing underage girls.
During a news conference Sunday in New York City, Allred said Gary Dennis contacted her after finding the VHS video, and she helped him turn the “potential evidence” over to the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York.
“Sallie and her husband (Gary) discovered, to their surprise, that they had a VHS tape that could be helpful in learning what had happened to these young girls who came into contact with R. Kelly,” Allred said. “Sallie and Gary felt that they had a moral duty to provide the tape to law enforcement.”
Dennis, who has two adult daughters, said he located the alleged footage while cleaning out a box of VHS tapes that has been at his Pennsylvania home for years.
He played a sports tape that was also labeled “R. Kelly,” which he thought might have been recorded over with old concert footage.
“To my shock and surprise, R. Kelly appeared to be on the tape, but not in concert,” Dennis said. “Instead, he was sexually abusing underage African-American girls.”
Although he didn’t go into detail about what was featured on the graphic tape, Dennis did say, “(Kelly) was engaging with these children in sexually abusive acts.”
“He was telling them what to do and what to say and it appeared that he was in control of the camera,” Dennis said during the news conference. “He appeared to be in command of the girls and they looked as though they were just saying and doing what he told them to do.”
Dennis, who works in a nursing home, said he felt compelled to turn over the tape so the victims can receive justice. “As a parent, it is very disturbing,” he added.
Allred said Dennis has no connection to R. Kelly whatsoever. “Mr. Dennis has never met Mr. Kelly, has never had any communication with Mr. Kelly and has never attended an R. Kelly concert,” the prominent lawyer said.
She notes that her client has “no idea” how or when he came into possession of the videotape, adding that various friends have given Dennis sports tapes over the years.
Allred said the video appears to have been filmed in the 1990s, and although she has a “basis for believing … it is Mr. Kelly on the video,” she could not say with “100 percent certainty.”
Kelly’s attorney Steve Greenberg told USA TODAY that it’s not the R&B singer on the video. “The doubt here is self-evident, with reporting that the man on the tape kinda, sorta looks like R Kelly. That doesn’t make it him,” he said in a statement.
“It is obviously now just open season on R. Kelly. It is irresponsible to continue to take the speculation of every Tom, Dick and Harry, and report it as if it is fact.”
This would mark the third tape that has been turned over to authorities in the past month. Attorney Michael Avenatti handed over two tapes of Kelly to Chicago police, one of which has resulted in 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse against Kells.
Avenatti took to Twitter shortly after the press conference, noting that five individuals in the past week have falsely claimed to be in possession of a tape featuring R. Kelly with underage girls.
