R. Kelly ex-manager says he believed singer’s abuse denials

By MICHAEL TARM
AP Legal Affairs Writer

CHICAGO (AP) — R. Kelly’s former business manager has testified at the singer’s federal trial in Chicago that he believed the singer’s denials of sexual misconduct when allegations emerged against his boss in the late 1990s. Taking the stand Wednesday, Derrell McDavid said he came to understand that fending off false claims was a cost of doing business for a superstar. McDavid blamed personal enemies of Kelly’s and others seeking to profit off his fame for making up allegations. McDavid and Kelly both face multiple charges that include conspiracy to obstruct justice for allegedly fixing Kelly’s 2008 child pornography trial. Four Kelly accusers who previously testified escribed Kelly to jurors as a master manipulator who, in some of their cases, abused them hundreds of times over years.