Two days ago, federal prosecutors for the Eastern District of New York (EDNY) filed a 9-count superseding indictment against embattled R&B singer R. Kelly.
In conjunction with the new indictment, Kelly is now facing 1 count of Racketeering – and 8 counts of violations of the Mann Act – in the EDNY.
One of the new allegations set forth in the superseding indictment concerns an underage aged minor who is referred to only as “Jane Doe #5”.
As described in the superseding indictment, Kelly is alleged to have arranged for Jane Doe #5 to travel to New York and other locations to have sex with him without informing her that he had contracted herpes. The girl allegedly contracted herpes during her sexual encounters with Kelly.
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Still More Charges to Be Filed Against R. Kelly in Chicago
Just last week, we reported that federal prosecutors in Chicago had filed a new 13-count superseding indictment against Kelly there.
We also reported that the Chicago federal prosecutors were expecting to file yet another superseding indictment when they finish reviewing the 100 electronic storage devices they recently seized from a storage unit that Kelly rented in Chicago.
Upon hearing that there was likely going to be another superseding indictment, the presiding federal judge in the Illinois case pushed back the start of Kelly’s trial there from April 27th to October 13th.
The charges that Kelly is currently facing in the Illinois federal case include 2 counts of receiving child pornography, 1 count of conspiracy to receive child pornography, 4 counts of producing child pornography, 5 counts of enticing a minor to engage in criminal sexual activity, and 1 count of conspiracy to obstruct justice.
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Why Hasn’t The NDNY Brought Any Charges Against Raniere & Others?
Watching how federal prosecutors in Brooklyn and New York have whipsawed R. Kelly back and forth on new charges in both locations makes it abundantly clear that multi-jurisdictional cases can, in fact, be simultaneously prosecuted.
Which raises the question as to why this hasn’t happened with regard to Keith Raniere and the other members of the NXIVM cult who were involved in its criminal operations.
If the EDNY’s investigators and prosecutors can successfully coordinate operations with their counterparts in Chicago, then why can’t they do the same with their counterparts in Albany?
At a minimum, we would have expected the NDNY staff to reinstate the four charges that were dropped by the EDNY prosecutors last April because of jurisdictional issues.
– Count Three: Sexual Exploitation Of A Child – Jane Doe 2: Keith Raniere
– Count Four: Sexual Exploitation Of A Child – Jane Doe 2: Keith Raniere
– Count Five: Possession Of Child Pornography: Keith Raniere
– Count Eleven: Conspiracy To Commit Identity Theft Regarding Jane Doe 7: Keith Raniere, Clare Bronfman & Others
At the time that they dropped the above-listed counts, the EDNY prosecutors made it very clear that they expected those same charges to be prosecuted in the NDNY.
In the filing in which it advised Judge Nicholas G. Garaufis about the charges being dropped, the EDNY prosecutorial team wrote: “The undersigned have been in contact with the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York and will determine how to proceed on Counts Three, Four, Five and Eleven following their dismissal in this matter”.
Before the four charges were dropped in the EDNY case, its investigators and prosecutors had already compiled all the evidence that would be needed in order to prosecute those charges.
Thus, all the NDNY staff would really have to do is present that same evidence to an NDNY Grand Jury – and seek to have Keith Raniere, Clare Bronfman, and the unnamed “others” indicted on those same four charges.
How hard can that be?
On two different occasions after the EDNY case was first announced, NDNY prosecutors indicated that they were interested in bringing charges against people involved with the NXIVM/ESP criminal enterprise. On both occasions, they were told they’d have to wait until the EDNY case had been concluded.
Well, guess what folks?
All that’s left to do in the EDNY case is to sentence the five defendants who pleaded guilty to various charges in that case: Nancy Salzman, Lauren, Allison Mack, Clare Bronfman and Kathy Russell – and the one clown-ass who thought he and his high-priced attorneys could dazzle the jury with their bullshit but instead ended up being convicted on all seven counts he was facing: Keith Raniere.
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Why Is R. Kelly Facing Multiple Prosecutions When Raniere Has Only Faced One?
In looking at the two situations, it’s hard to figure out exactly why the federal government can simultaneously mount two prosecutions against R. Kelly by prosecutorial offices that are 800 miles apart – and yet it can’t do the same between with two prosecutorial offices that are only 150 miles apart.
Let’s look at some possible reasons why this may be happening…
Is it because the prosecutorial staff in the NDNY lacks the experience and expertise that is needed to successfully prosecute Keith Raniere, Clare Bronfman and others?
Or is it because the NDNY staff were so compromised by NXIVM over the years that the Department of Justice doesn’t want to risk having those stories come out – which could, of course, happen if the NDNY were to initiate any prosecutions against Raniere and others?
Is it because the NDNY doesn’t want to prosecute anyone on the four dropped charges because doing so would very likely bring calls for even more prosecutions of more NXIVM-related defendants on more charges?
Is it because DOJ is afraid that prosecuting any cases in the NDNY could lead to the truth coming out about other criminal cases where NXIVM was able to put its thumb on the scales of justice: e.g., cases like John Tighe, Joe O’Hara, and Frank Parlato?
Is it a racial thing? If Raniere were black, would the NDNY already be prosecuting him on a myriad of charges?
Perhaps it’s time for some of New York’s political leaders to start looking into this mystery…
Frank Parlato 
Janine Morrison 
J.J. O'Hara 
Richard Luthmann 
Marie White 
Paul Serran
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“R. Kelly Faces New Charges in EDNY Case – Why Haven’t There Been More Charges Filed in the NXIVM Case?” There are lots of potential reasons, including R. Kelly is much better known and therefore a feather in the cap of the prosecutor (and defense) lawyers, NDNY has a lot of inaction regarding NXIVM through the years to keep covered up (as was mentioned in the story), R. Kelly was mostly operating on his own, NXIVM is much more complex, some of the convicted NXIVM 6 and probably others are helping the prosecution put the case together and possibly adding other crimes. If Claviger can’t come up with these reasons and others, she is either an inept lawyer or just trying to make the natives restless. In either case, she is disgusting. She is welcome to come on my show and explain herself, as is anyone else, except for Hutchinson. LOL
“…and the one clown-ass who thought he and his high-priced attorneys could dazzle the jury with their bullshit….” That may have been what they were thinking in the beginning, but it never materialized. They either plead guilty (which means the jury was never a factor) or didn’t even attempt a defense, except for a small amount of cross examination of a few witnesses (which means it was easy work for the jury). It was much more of a thud than a “dazzle.” LOL
Apparently, Joe Bruno Sr still has a lot of influence.
Appreciate your sarcasm, Clav. Though perhaps it is a race or certainly ‘class’ issue in the sense that Clare & Emi’s moolah appears to yet be influencing this investigation.
Look at how many times Aggie (Marc Agnifilo) led witnesses to site Frank Parlato in Raniere’s trial without objection.
What’s worse than undercharging the perpetrators is that the NDNY, apparently in cooperation with EDNY investigators, continues to target scapegoats with alleged “criminal minds” — ‘outside’ (or on the periphery) of NXIVM and outside both those jurisdictions.
When I attempted to contact Kevin Trowel — the EDNY prosecutor appointed to investigate inaction (at least) by State and NDNY officials — long ago, I got the runaround big time. They kept referencing “Johnson” and suggesting I meant “Allen”
or “Alan” not Keith while I tried to clarify “Alan” was Keith’s MIDDLE name and assumed Johnson had something to do with Scott at the time.
Btw, Allen Johnson happens to be the name of our former landlord — on a property purchased by an LAPD Sargent, Todd Doyle — whom Frank negotiated our move out agreement with — but I didn’t put it together at that point.
The same thing happened when I tried to contact the EDNY FBI agent many have spoken to, Michael Leavers, while in New York. They actually told me there was no agent by that name in the FBI directory even though I was returning his call at the number he left on my VM, which has since disappeared. My cousin witnessed this. Finally, I was told “we’ll call you.”
Still waiting. And anyone who really still thinks I’m armed and dangerous (as Jeff Apple, my ex, told the police) had better check with Los Robles hospital where I was secretly psyche evaluated and had my belongings searched hours after being run out of my home with my son under entirely false pretexts. (Fortuitously ended up there with a sprained ankle after being chased at the bus terminal by a couple of “pimps” offering me a ride and complimenting my menopausal looks in sweatpants I hastily pulled out of the dirty laundry pile.)
The most hurtful thing for me at this point is how my disabled son continues to be exploited in this by not only Jeff Apple, his father, but by the federally funded disabled program he and his wife “created, founded and operate” (quoting Jeff) “Aurelia,” and by the conservatorship court attorney appointee, Richard Solomon, who is charging Dylan’s SNT over all this non-sense while literally putting his life in danger by providing substandard, illegal care through caregivers who are not certified to administer his seizure medications.
Is it really more important to nail Frank Parlato by ensnaring me in some trumped-up charge of solicitation or something? I don’t particularly like Frank, frankly, but if that’s what this is about I’ve got nothing on him and I’m
fairly well discredited as a witness if I did, anyway.
The incompetence alone is astounding.
What is unique about the R. Kelly case is that Kelly is being prosecuted under the RICO Act.
The theory is that Kelly’s entire music career was designed to aid and abet his sex trafficking, particularly of underage girls.
Thus the US government is trying to seize control of Kelly’s entire fortune.
Whatever Kelly earned over a twenty-five year music career as a musician is in the cross hairs of the Federal juggernaut.
Trump’s DOJ is not fooling around in hunting down pedophiles and sex traffickers.
It could be, at least in part, a political thing. When NXIVM was first spreading its tentacles in the Albany area during the Pataki administration, the go-to party in control of things at the state level was the same one as the current US Attorney for the NDNY is affiliated with, and delving into NXIVM’s dirty past could implicate a lot of his fellows, so there may not be much taste for opening that can of worms.
I was floored not long ago when, in the Albany area, I ran across something dedicated to former New York state senator and Republican Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, one of the people NXIVM had probably co-opted with favors like “massages,” private plane rides and the Bronfmans’ largest campaign donations. He had to resign from office while under investigation, and the feds ultimately charged him with corruption and fraud.
And to this day, NXIVM’s corporate counsel is the politically-connected firm of former Bush administration Attorney General John Ashcroft.
Gotta love the Slickster anonyfaker. Yep this is a Republican scandal. Clearly this clown does not know his ass from a hole in the ground.
Some of the NXIVM women are cooperating in further investigations.
Have you got a better explanation for why the NDNY doesn’t seem to want to do anything, including child pornography charges pratically handed off to them by the EDNY? It’s at least as worthy of consideration as the other factors mentioned.
And no, it’s not just one party – as I’ve said all along, typically, it’s bi-partisan. NXIVM and the Bronfmans, like most influence-seeking opportunists, worked with whoever seemed to have the power, which happened to be more one party at the state level, and another at the local level.
If I’d said it was a Democratic scandal – the implication of a lot of postings here – would you have objected to that? Or would it have just flown past you, fitting in with a culty worldview that one side is the most ethical, and the other suppressives and parasites? (if you don’t recognize it, those are the terms Raniere used)
Agree, finally, AM.