Donnell Russell, the former manager of R. Kelly, has been sentenced to serve a one-year prison term for calling in a shooting threat that disrupted the Manhattan screening of the “Surviving R. Kelly” docuseries.
Russell was found guilty of threatening physical harm through interstate communication after making a phone call to NeueHouse in December 2018.
Since the safety of guests was a top priority, it was decided to evacuate the theater.
R. Kelly and his cronies ended up ruining the screening of “Surviving R. Kelly,” which is a thorough investigation into the controversial singer, featuring women who speak out about the sexual, mental, and physical abuse they suffered at the hands of the “I Believe I Can Fly” singer.
Despite their attempts, the documentary aired on Lifetime and ended with the singer, who is 55 years old, being sentenced to 30 years in prison following his conviction in a sex trafficking and racketeering case.
The punishment is a result of his conviction in 2021, in which he was found guilty on nine charges, including racketeering, which included 14 individual acts such as bribery, kidnapping, and forced labor.
As for Russell, he apologized for his antics on behalf of R. Kelly when he was sentenced.
“I’m not a horrible person,” Russell said, according to various reports.
In November 2022, Russell was also given a 20-month prison sentence for harassing and intimidating one of Kelly’s victims.
The sentence was issued by a federal judge in Brooklyn after Russell pleaded guilty to one count of interstate stalking in the summer.