The R&B singer was sentenced to 30 years in prison on June 29.
Disgraced R&B singer R. Kelly is engaged to one of his alleged victims, Joycelyn Savage, according to a letter she sent to the sentencing judge in his sex trafficking case.
The letter was filed by Kelly's team to Judge Ann Donnelly on June 13, two weeks before his sentencing, and begins with Savage referencing herself, saying, "I'm Robert Kelly's fiance."
The "I Believe I Can Fly" singer was sentenced to 30 years in prison on June 29 for charges including racketeering, bribery, coercion, enticement and sex trafficking. Kelly had previously denied all wrongdoing, pleading not guilty and has continuously said he will appeal the ruling. The highly publicized trial saw six weeks of courtroom proceedings.
Now, Kelly's continued relationship with Savage is coming to light. She wrote in her letter, "My name is Joycelyn Savage, and I'm Robert Kelly's fiancé. 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."
Savage went on to detail her feelings for the singer, saying, "We have a very special connection and are deeply in love. Robert is not the monster that the government has described him to be. The Robert I know is very sweet, gentle, and kind."
Advocating for her alleged fiance, Savage penned, "He's very determined and focused on his goals, and the things that have been said about him, with me and other women being held against our will is absolutely untrue."
Savage's parents have been outspoken about their concern for their now 26-year-old daughter. In several media interviews, and also while appearing in the docuseries Surviving R. Kelly, her parents have long maintained that she is being coerced and manipulated by the 55-year-old singer.
According to reports from TMZ, the family's attorney, Gerald Griggs, tells the outlet "she never made the engagement known to the family, and they've never even spoken about the possibility beforehand."
In the letter, Savage argues that she is not under the singer's control. "It breaks my heart that the government has created a narrative that I'm a victim," she wrote. "I'm a grown woman, and can speak for myself which is why I wanted to provide this letter to the court," she continued. "[Kelly] is a great man, with a great heart and deserves to be home with his loved ones who are ready to support him."
Savage, who is from Atlanta, Georgia, met Kelly when she was 19 years old. For his part, Kelly has previously been married to the late singer Aaliyah from 1994 until 1995. At the time of their nuptials, she was 15 and he was 27 years old. The singer went on to marry choreographer Andrea Lee and they were together from 1996 until 2009.
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