Federal prosecutors seek to seize R. Kelly funds in Sony Music & UMPG’s possession

Written by ABC Audio ALL RIGHTS RESERVED on June 2, 2023

Federal prosecutors have a filed of writ of garnishment to collect money from R. Kelly‘s label Sony Music and publisher Universal Music Publishing Group. According to Billboard, the companies are believed to have some property that belongs to Kelly that could be used to pay nearly $505,000 of his criminal fines and restitution for victims.

Kelly and his lead attorney, Jennifer Bonjean, told Billboard they have “no opinion” on prosecutors seeking to seize the aforementioned funds, but believe the restitution order against him is wrong and will be overturned.

Kelly’s fines stem from different cases: He was ordered to pay over $480,000 in fines and restitution after being sentenced to 30 years in prison on sex trafficking and racketeering charges, and another $42,000 after he was sentenced on separate child pornography convictions in Illinois.

Prosecutors previously seized nearly $30,000 in Kelly’s prison commissary account to pay his outstanding fees. Victim Heather Williams was also given access to the singer’s funds, particularly his Sony Music account. The winner of a $4 million civil judgment against Kelly, she was given priority access to the money over Midwest Commercial Funding, which won $3.5 million in a suit over Kelly’s unpaid rent at a studio in his native Chicago, because she was the first to demand the money from Sony.