GoFundMe disables R. Kelly fundraising campaigns for legal fees
GoFundMe on Wednesday said it has shut down several crowdfunding campaigns that sought to raise money to cover singer R. Kelly’s legal fees.
Kelly, 52, faces 10 charges of aggravated sexual abuse for incidents involving four women, including three who were underage when the abuse allegedly occurred. The R&B singer has plead not guilty to the charges and was released from custody after a woman who identified herself as “a friend” posted Kelly’s $100,000 bail.
In the hours after Kelly’s arrest, several GoFundMe campaigns sprang up on the platform, urging fans to contribute money toward his legal fees and defense. One of the campaigns, which proclaimed that R. Kelly was innocent, sought to raise $250,000, the Chicago Tribune reported.
“These campaigns violate GoFundMe’s terms of service and they’ve been removed from the platform,” GoFundMe spokeswoman Jenny Perillo said in a statement. “I can confirm that our terms of service prohibit raising money on GoFundMe for the legal defense of a violent crime.”
GoFundMe representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment on how many campaigns have been disabled.
The crowdfunding platform’s terms of service ban “campaigns we deem, in our sole discretion, to be in support of, or for the legal defense of alleged crimes associated with hate, violence, harassment, bullying, discrimination, terrorism, or intolerance of any kind relating to race, ethnicity, national origin, religious affiliation, sexual orientation, sex, gender or gender identity, or serious disabilities or diseases.”
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Kelly is forbidden to have contact with women under the age of 18. He was previously acquitted of child pornography charges in 2008.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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