Former Jersey Journal reporter breaks story on R. Kelly 'cult' allegations (original) (raw)
By
For nearly 17 years, Chicago journalist Jim DeRogatis has covered the tumultuous career of R&B superstar R. Kelly, chronicling allegations of sexual misconduct and abuse.
The former music critic at The Chicago Sun-Times - and one-time reporter at The Jersey Journal - spent the last nine months chasing new claims about the controversial singer.
His latest story - "Inside the Pied Piper of RnB's 'Cult'"-- which was published July 17 by BuzzFeed, details new allegations the music star faces, among which, that he maintains a concubine of women and controls every facet of their daily lives. The piece includes the accounts of three women formerly in Kelly's inner circle - two women who previously carried on sexual relationships with Kelly while living with him, and a third who worked as singer's personal assistant.
"They said six women live in properties rented by Kelly in Chicago and the Atlanta suburbs, and he controls every aspect of their lives: dictating what they eat, how they dress, when they bathe, when they sleep, and how they engage in sexual encounters that he records," DeRogatis writes in the new expose.
DeRogatis began working on the story in November when the parents of a 21-year-old woman who now lives with Kelly contacted him, saying she has practically severed all communication with them. The parents, as well as others quoted in the story, described the group of women who live with the music star as a "cult."
Kelly's lawyer, Linda Mensch, denied the allegations in a statement, saying: "Mr. Robert Kelly is both alarmed and disturbed at the recent revelations attributed to him. Mr. Kelly unequivocally denies such allegations and will work diligently and forcibly to pursue his accusers and clear his name."
Born in Jersey City, DeRogatis attended Hudson Catholic High School and began his career in journalism in the 1980s as a reporter with the Journal covering Hoboken. His career later included a 15-year stint at the Sun-Times, a nationally syndicated radio show, as well as a teaching position at Columbia College Chicago, but DeRogatis says it was his time at his hometown paper that molded him the most.
"Pat Donnelly, Margaret Schmidt, and Steve Newhouse - they were my graduate school and I don't think I could have had three better teachers," he said of his editors at The Jersey Journal. "I learned how to do this at The Jersey Journal."
The BuzzFeed piece is not DeRogatis' first dip into investigative journalism. He and a colleague wrote the Sun-Times' first major investigative story about Kelly in December 2000.
Then in 2002, DeRogatis was anonymously sent a 26-minute video tape that allegedly showed the music star having sex with an underage girl. The newspaper turned the tape over the authorities, and Kelly was eventually indicted on child pornography charges. The case went to trial - where DeRogatis was called as a witness, but invoked his Fifth Amendment right to avoid testifying and giving up his source. Kelly was eventually acquitted on all 14 counts he faced.
Despite the allegations, Kelly has carried on a successful music career, DeRogatis said.
"It's as if there has been this vast cultural amnesia of what the accusations are against this man - and they're just accusations - but there's a startlingly long trail of them, all well-documented," DeRogatis said.
During a phone interview with The Jersey Journal on Thursday, DeRogatis mentioned the death of his stepfather, Harry Reynolds, a longtime Jersey City public school teacher who died Wednesday after a long battle with Alzheimer's. It was Reynolds' dedication to kids that has inspired DeRogatis' own commitment to the Kelly story, namely the alleged victims.
"I think he'd be proud of what I'm doing today," said DeRogatis, the author of 10 books.
"There are people allegedly in peril today. ... The parents are saying they need help, and the three other women who are brave enough to tell their stories with their names on the record are saying those women need help."
If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.