R. Kelly Is Found Guilty of All Counts and Faces Life in Prison
Sept. 27, 2021

 Mr. Kelly’s conviction marked a stunning fall for a man who was once one of the biggest names in R&B music. It came after the first Me Too-era trial in which most of the victims were Black women. The singer was convicted of federal racketeering and sex trafficking charges for a decades-long scheme to recruit women and underage girls for sex. Once one of the biggest names in popular music, he could face decades in prison. 

The conviction of R. Kelly on all nine counts against him came as a significant moment in the Me Too movement for both Black women and for the music industry, ushering in a sense that, finally, justice had been served. But the verdict on Monday also prompted an obvious question: Women have said that the singer’s abuses began as early as the start of the 1990s —

Why did it take three decades for the singer to receive criminal punishment? Here are a few possible answers: The entertainer had an expansive network of enablers around him, federal prosecutors said, from his closest confidantes and employees to many in the music industry who knew of the concerns about his behavior but did not intervene. 

The government drew attention to what has been described as the “settlement factory” that kept his accusers quiet, offering evidence of Mr. Kelly’s payments to women who made accusations in exchange for their silence.And when that was not enough, Mr. Kelly “used his henchmen to lodge threats and exact revenge,” blackmailing women with nude photographs of themselves or embarrassing information, one prosecutor, Elizabeth Geddes, said in closing arguments. Federal prosecutors also accused Mr. Kelly of paying witnesses to not cooperate with the authorities in the lead-up to his 2008 trial and acquittal. They said the singer let some witnesses know they could be “subject to physical harm” if they proceeded…. https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/09/27/nyregion/r-kelly-trial-news

R. Kelly made his victims write letters exonerating him. Instead, they helped convict him.
Sept. 27, 2021 By Emily Palmer 

Much of the evidence that prosecutors used to convict R. Kelly came from the singer himself.He obsessively collected message slips and letters written by the women he interacted with — some of them underage — according to Ryan Chabot, the lead federal investigator in the case. Mr. Chabot said he sifted through the evidence recovered from several searches of the singer’s Chicago apartment and storage facility.Mr. Kelly kept some of the evidence in FedEx folders, with labels like “Old Messages,” and other pieces — like a seven-page, front-and-back, handwritten letter from a woman who testified for three days early in the trial — in protective sleeves in a locked safe. 

Calling Mr. Kelly a “great man,” the woman wrote: “At the age of 17 I never had sex with Robert Kelly,” then proceeded to tick off a list of specific sex acts that she said she had not participated in with the R&B superstar.

Less than two years later, when the woman who had written the letter testified under a pseudonym, she said she had experienced coerced and recorded sexual encounters with the singer starting when she was 17. He hit her often, she said, and forced her to get an abortion…. https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/09/27/nyregion/r-kelly-trial-news

Jeffrey Epstein’s lawyers highly ‘skeptical’ of suicide ruling, say he wasn’t ‘despairing, despondent’ before death, SMART Child and Ritual Abuse Newsletter – Issue 148 – September 2019 – Jeffrey Epstein Information

Jeffrey Epstein’s lawyers highly ‘skeptical’ of suicide ruling, say he wasn’t ‘despairing, despondent’ before death
Tue, Aug 27 2019 Dan Mangan Kevin Breuninger

….Epstein, 66, was a former friend of Presidents Donald Trump and Bill Clinton, Prince Andrew and other celebrities, whom he entertained at his luxurious residences in Manhattan, Florida and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

….A defense lawyer for Jeffrey Epstein on Tuesday expressed deep skepticism that the wealthy financier died by hanging himself in a Manhattan federal jail while awaiting trial on child sex trafficking charges, as a medical examiner has ruled.

The injuries suffered by Epstein are “far more consistent with assault” than suicide, the lawyer, Reid Weingarten, told Judge Richard Berman in U.S. District Court in Manhattan during a hearing.

Weingarten cited the defense’s own medical sources. Broken bones were found in Epstein’s neck during an autopsy after he died Aug. 10.

Such fractures are somewhat more common in cases of strangulation than in hanging.

Weingarten told the judge that when he and other defense attorneys spoke to Epstein shortly before his death “we did not see a despairing, despondent, suicidal person.”

Weingarten’s comments came during a proceeding where prosecutors were seeking the dismissal of child sex trafficking charges against the Epstein as a result of his death.

More than 20 alleged victims of Epstein spoke or had statements read during the hearing.

Another Epstein lawyer, Martin Weinberg, told Berman that the defense team had prepared a “significant” motion to dismiss the case, and that the lawyers were not approaching the case with a “futile, defeatist attitude.”

Weingarten said Berman had a “pivotal role to find out what happened.”

“We want the court to help us find out what happened,” Weingarten said.

“We’re skeptical of the certitude” of the finding of suicide by hanging by the New York City medical examiner, the lawyer said.

There are “significant doubts” regarding “the conclusion of suicide,” Weingarten said.

But Maurene Comey, a federal prosecutor, told Berman that Epstein’s death was already the subject of “an ongoing and active grand jury investigation.”….Epstein, 66, was a former friend of Presidents Donald Trump and Bill Clinton, Prince Andrew and other celebrities, whom he entertained at his luxurious residences on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, Palm Beach, Florida, and on a private island in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

….Weeks before his death, Epstein was found semiconscious in his cell in the Manhattan Correctional Center with marks on his neck. That incident led to him being placed on suicide watch, but he was taken off of that status about a week later.

Epstein’s connections, vast wealth and the prior incident in the jail led to a rash of speculation about whether he was killed in his jail cell, and did not commit suicide.

….Weingarten also pointed out that “we’ve heard that” the surveillance video at the jail around Epstein’s cell “were either corrupted or not functioning.”….

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/08/27/jeffrey-epsteins-lawyers-skeptical-of-suicide-ruling.html

SMART Child and Ritual Abuse Newsletter – Issue 148 – September 2019

Information in this issue includes: R. Kelly, Jeffrey Epstein, Donald Trump, Bill Clinton, Bill Richardson, George Mitchell, E. Jean Carroll, Prince Andrew, Kevin Spacey, Dr. Michael Holick, Elon Musk, brain microchip, Boy Scouts of America, Catholic Church, New York Child Victims Act, Eric Lin
https://ritualabuse.us/2019/08/issue-148-september-2019/

Boy Scouts of America ‘Pedophilia Epidemic’ 350 Alleged Abusers, R. Kelly charged engaging in prostitution, soliciting minor, Annual Child and Ritual Abuse Conference 2019 with Neil Brick, Alison Miller and Daniel Roemer

Boy Scouts of America Are Coving up a ‘Pedophilia Epidemic,’ 350 Alleged Abusers Have Been Named In Lawsuit
By Christina Zhao 8/7/19

The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) are covering up rampant pedophilia within their ranks, with 350 previously unknown adult scoutmasters or members identified as alleged abusers, according to a new lawsuit against the youth organization.

A new lawsuit, filed on Monday in Philadelphia County Common Pleas Court, accuses the BSA of facilitating “a continuing and serious conspiracy to conceal and cover up” sexual assaults against children within their organization.

The lawsuit was filed by a group of attorneys called Abused in Scouting. The group formed in February to investigate abuse in the BSA. The attorneys’ investigation discovered and identified 350 alleged abusers after hundreds of former Scouts members reportedly revealed their previously unreported sexual abuse claims.

“It is apparent that the Boy Scout defendants continue to hide the true nature of their coverup and the extent of the pedophilia epidemic within their organizations because the vast majority of new victims coming forward involve claims of abuse at the hands of pedophiles who are not yet identified by the Boy Scouts of America,” the complaint said.

Nearly 800 clients say they were abused by adult leaders in the Boy Scouts, the Abused in Scouting lawyers said, adding that the alleged abusers are not known to law enforcement or in the BSA’s internal database, sometimes referred to as the “perversion files.”

The lawsuit also claims BSA covered up incidents of sexual assault and accuses the organization of engaging in reckless misconduct, as well as failing to adequately protect its young members….

https://www.newsweek.com/boy-scouts-america-are-coving-pedophilia-epidemic-350-alleged-abusers-have-been-named-lawsuit-1452933

R. Kelly charged with engaging in prostitution, soliciting a minor in Minnesota
The musician already faces multiple federal and state sex crime charges in New York and Illinois.

Aug. 6, 2019 By Tim Stelloh

R. Kelly was charged with one count of engaging in prostitution with a minor and one count of soliciting a minor for sexual purposes, authorities in Minnesota said Monday. The singer is facing other federal and state sex crime charges in New York and Illinois.

The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office said in a statement that the alleged crimes occurred on July 11, 2001, with a 17-year-old girl who was trying to get an autograph from the singer.

The woman, who was not identified, later went to Kelly’s hotel room and was given $200 to dance naked for the performer, according to the statement.

Kelly, who also allegedly stripped, then touched the teen “all over her body” and gave her VIP tickets to his concert, the statement said.

The woman contacted local authorities in January to report the incident, the statement said…..

Kelly, whose full name is Robert Kelly, was indicted in July on 18 federal sex assault charges that allegedly occurred in Chicago and New York not guilty plea

Federal prosecutors allege that Kelly, 52, took underage girls across state lines for sex. Kelly and two employees are also accused of recruiting women and girls to engage in illegal sexual activity with the performer, then paying victims and witnesses to cover up the crimes…..

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/r-kelly-charged-engaging-prostitution-soliciting-minor-minnesota-n1039416 

The Annual Child and Ritual Abuse Conference 2019 with Neil Brick, Alison Miller and Daniel Roemer

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-annual-child-and-ritual-abuse-conference-2019-with-neil-brick-alison-miller-and-daniel-roemer-300897751.html

In less than two weeks, S.M.A.R.T. is having a conference August 17 – 18, 2019 in Connecticut. https://ritualabuse.us/smart-conference/ 

Neil Brick is a survivor of ritual abuse and mind control. His work continues to educate the public about child abuse, trauma and ritual abuse crimes. His articles are at http://neilbrick.com

“A Survivor’s View of Recovery from Ritual Abuse.” He will discuss how recovery from ritual abuse can take many years. This may include working through memories, building functionality and developing more effective ways of interacting and integrating emotions. He will discuss his long healing journey.

Alison Miller, Ph.D. is a retired clinical psychologist who practised in Victoria, B.C., Canada. She worked with survivors of organized abuse, including ritual abuse and mind control from 1990 to 2017. Alison is the author of Healing the Unimaginable: Treating Ritual Abuse and Mind Control (for therapists), Becoming Yourself: Overcoming Mind Control and Ritual Abuse (for survivors).

Alison will discuss via Skype “Deception by Organized Abuser Groups: Helping Your Front People and Your Insiders Recognize the Lies and Tricks Which Keep You Enslaved.” She will talk about how survivors of abuse by mind-controlling abuser groups have parts who have been trained to obey abusers because they believe lies the abusers told them. She will talk about how their power over survivors depends on their young parts believing the abusers’ lies. If survivors learn to recognize when their emotions and behavior are influenced by these deceptions, and to discover the ways in which they were deceived, they can increase their freedom from the abuser group. https://ritualabuse.us/smart/alison-miller/

Daniel Roemer’s directing has led him to receive such attention as USA Film’s Top 10 Emerging Director’s list at the age of 20, two-time Project Greenlight Best Director Finalist (Ben Affleck/Matt Damon), and student Academy Award State finalist by age 22.

Daniel will share his own story from his docudrama “Gray”, which digs deep into uncovering his abuse history, actual news articles from the time of the abuse, includes interviews with prominent locals and family members and his personal search for what went on.

Daniel will also conduct a film-making 101 class – to share the story, both technical and directorial how-to’s. Clinicians would also benefit in having these skills to share their methods of work. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1281008/

Special surprise entertainment will also be provided at the conference

Proof That Ritual Abuse Exists
https://ritualabuse.us/ritualabuse/

Large List of Ritual Abuse and Child Abuse References
https://ritualabuse.us/ritualabuse/studies/satanic-ritual-abuse-evidence-with-information-on-the-mcmartin-preschool-case/

Research and Information on Dissociative Identity Disorder (formerly called Multiple Personality Disorder) https://ritualabuse.us/research/did/

R. Kelly Arrested, Jeffrey Epstein, Donald Trump, SMART Ritual Abuse Newsletter, Survivorship Notes, SMART Conference Aug 2019 prices as low as $50

R. Kelly Arrested on Federal Sex Trafficking Charges: Law Enforcement Officials
The 52-year-old was arrested by NYPD detectives and Homeland Security Investigators on sex trafficking charges
By Jonathan Dienst July 11, 2019

Singer R. Kelly has been arrested in Chicago on federal sex crime charges, according to two law enforcement officials.

The 52-year-old was arrested Homeland Security Investigation agents and NYPD Public Safety Task Force Thursday night on sex trafficking charges, officials tell News 4, and it is expected he will be brought to New York….

The R&B star, whose real name is Robert Kelly, has been the subject of different sexual abuse allegations for nearly two decades, with some of the alleged acts dating back to 1998.

Back in February, Kelly was charged with aggravated sexual abuse involving four women, three of whom were minors when the alleged abuse occurred. He pleaded not guilty and was released from Chicago’s Cook County Jail after posting bail.

A jury in 2008 acquitted Kelly of child pornography charges stemming from a video showing him having sex with a girl as young as 13, prosecutors claimed at the time. Kelly faced 15 years in prison for that charge, but the young woman in that claim denied it was her and did not testify.  https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/R-Kelly-Arrested-on-Federal-Sex-Crime-Charges-512618121.html

SMART Child and Ritual Abuse Newsletter
https://ritualabuse.us/2019/07/issue-147-july-2019/

Has information on NXIVM, Jeffrey Epstein, Donald Trump, R. Kelly, Religious Abuse, Ritual Abuse Conference, Human Trafficking, Border Patrol Warehouse (for children), Bill Clinton, Prince Charles, Alison Miller, Neil Brick, Daniel Roemer, SMART ritual abuse and mind control conference

Survivorship July/August Notes is available for free online at https://survivorship.org/notes-and-journal/

This issue has information on Jeffrey Epstein, NXIVM, Clergy Abuse, DID and this summer’s East Coast Conference.

A chance to ask Alison Miller questions and hear her speak at the SMART East Coast Conference, seehttps://ritualabuse.us/smart-conference/

Here is a preview of Alison Miller’s work, author of Healing the Unimaginable: Treating Ritual Abuse and Mind Control (for therapists), Becoming Yourself: Overcoming Mind Control and Ritual Abuse (for survivors), and co-author with survivor Wendy Hoffman of From the Trenches: A Victim and Therapist Talk about Mind Control and Ritual Abuse.

Deception by Organized Abuser Groups: Helping Your Front People and Your Insiders Recognize the Lies and Tricks Which Keep You Enslaved by Dr. Alison Miller – PowerPoint is at the link above. Please use caution, this may be triggering.

If you are a survivor of abuse by a mind-controlling abuser group, you have parts who have been trained to obey abusers because they believe lies your abusers told you. The abusers deceived you in childhood, using drugs, acted-out scenarios, stage magic, stories and films to control your child parts and prevent you from speaking out about the abuse. Their power over you depends on your young parts believing the abusers’ lies. If you learn to recognize when your emotions and behavior are influenced by these deceptions, and to discover the ways in which you were deceived, you can increase your freedom from the abuser group. (Skype presentation)https://ritualabuse.us/smart/alison-miller

PowerPoints from the Survivorship Conference are now available at:  https://survivorship.org/ritual-abuse-and-mind-control-2019-conference/

The 2019 Annual Ritual Abuse, Secretive Organizations and Mind Control Conference is August 17 – 18, 2019 at the DoubleTree near Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, CT

Internet conference information: https://ritualabuse.us/smart-conference/

Speakers include Alison Miller Ph.D, Neil Brick and movie maker Daniel Roemer. SMART will have special conference prices until July 25th and prices as low as $50. Complimentary copies of Wendy Hoffman’s books will be available.

A Survivor’s View of Recovery from Ritual Abuse by Neil Brick

Recovery from ritual abuse can take many years. Recovery may include working through memories, building functionality and developing more effective ways of interacting and integrating emotions.  Every individual has different experiences that lead them through the recovery path. Neil Brick will discuss his long journey healing from severe abuse. This will include ways he has learned more about himself, ways he has learned to develop healthier interactions with others and ways he has helped others along the recovery path.

Neil Brick is a survivor of ritual abuse and mind control. His work continues to educate the public about child abuse, trauma and ritual abuse crimes. His child abuse and ritual abuse newsletter S.M.A.R.T.  https://ritualabuse.us  has been published for over 24 years. http://neilbrick.com

Daniel Roemer – Film Maker

Bio: Daniel Roemer’s unique and powerful style of directing has lead him to receive such attention as USA Film’s Top 10 Emerging Director’s list at the age of 20, two-time Project Greenlight Best Director Finalist (Ben Affleck/Matt Damon), and student Academy Award State finalist by age 22. He has been characterized as “a filmmaker with his finger on the pulse of the world’s youth,” as his short films have been distributed theatrically in over 75 countries. Partnering with Inspirational Films in Europe, colleges have packed out auditoriums with over three thousand students, as well as standing room only theaters in major European cities.

He’s screened in festivals including Sundance, AFI Fest, LA Shorts Fest, and a special senator screening in Washington DC (for selected congressmen). Daniel was also among the few who finalized for the LA Shorts Fest “DNA Award,” the festival’s top honor of a million dollar feature deal with Universal Pictures (500 contestants).

Recently Daniel was a top 50 Director Finalist (of 10,000 entrants) for Fox’s reality show “On the Lot”, produced by Steven Spielberg and Mark Burnett, showcasing filmmakers “bound for stardom”. His shooting and editing have aired on Good Morning America, Dr. Phil and Arsenio Hall’s TV series “The World’s Funniest Moments”. His behind the scenes work includes Sony Picture’s exclusive (I Love Your Work) starring Giovanni Ribisi, Jason Lee, Vince Vaughn, Christina Ricci and Elvis Costello.

His nonprofit work includes interviews and promos with John Travolta, Kelly Preston, Meryl Streep, Olivia Newton-John, John Ritter, Pierce Brosnan and Selma Blair, as well as an extensive interview with Ben Stiller for The Huckleberry Fund (nonprofit for Homeless Children). Editing credits include 15-week TV series “Beyond the Felt,” showcasing world’s top poker players, A&E reality TV show “Dumpster Diving,” feature-length documentary on Breast Cancer, starring Christina Applegate, Melissa Etheridge and Sheryl Crow (distrib. Lionsgate).

He’s filmed and edited for A&E E!, ET, Access Hollywood, TV News, and screened at national conventions for 20th Century Fox Producer, Ralph Winter (X-Men 1&2, X-Men: The Last Stand, Fantastic 4). Most recently Daniel directed a TV pilot for CW Network (Atlanta) and is in post production, as well as finishing his feature-length documentary “Red White and Blowhard” shot across the US 2012-2013. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1281008/

Part One: Daniel Roemer will share his own story using PowerPoint, visuals and clips from his docudrama “Gray”, which digs deep into uncovering my abuse history, actual news articles from the time of the abuse, and includes interviews with prominent locals and family members, and his personal search for what went on.

Part Two: Daniel Roemer will conduct a film-making 101 class (designed for self-taping and interviewing others) – to share the story, both technical and directorial how-to’s. Clinicians would also benefit in having these skills to share their methods of work.

Everyone has a unique story, whether you are a clinician, a survivor or both. Stories, since the beginning of time, united tribes and cultures and passed along their ideals by framing LIFE as a narrative. Stories helped the listener to feel less alone in the world, feel inspired, and helped them to become all the wiser on their own journey.

As survivors, our ‘through-lines’ can get messed up, become discombobulated; our brains try to put memories back together, our emotions can flood us— it is hard. TELLING OUR STORIES can not only help “put the beads back on the string,” but it can be incredibly cathartic for both the storyteller and (if interviewing a source) the interviewee. It can also educate viewers not aware of survivor struggles, empowering them with knowledge and heightening their sensitivities, along with raising awareness. Helping others can be the most healing elixir of all. It gives meaning to suffering. Through many forms of media, we now have the ability to share our stories in ways we never could before.

A survivor or clinician wielding FILMMAKING SKILLS has the ability to ignite a long-lasting, pervasive force of influence, exposing, and becoming a voice to be reckoned with in the survivor community; as we shall not be silenced. We are a YouTube generation, and there are specific ways to utilize simple tools to share stories even as novice media-makers.

R. Kelly posts bail – 10 Felony Counts, Cardinal Pell – Pope’s top financial adviser convicted of child sex abuse, The Survivorship Ritual Abuse and Mind Control 2019 Conference

– R. Kelly leaves Chicago jail after posting 100K bail for criminal sex charges
– ‘Surviving R. Kelly’ Executive Producer Reacts to R. Kelly Charges and Singer Being Unable to Make Bail
– Cardinal George Pell, Pope Francis’ top financial adviser, convicted of child sex abuse
– Anglican Church priest arrested for series of sex crimes committed during time with Fresno church
– The Survivorship Ritual Abuse and Mind Control 2019 Conference

R. Kelly leaves Chicago jail after posting 100K bail for criminal sex charges
Jayme Deerwester, USA TODAY Feb. 25, 2019

R. Kelly has been freed from jail in Chicago after posting bail following multiple charges of criminal sexual abuse, the Cook County Sheriff’s Office confirms to USA TODAY.

Earlier Monday, Cook County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Sophia Ansari told USA TODAY that the R&B singer, who spent the weekend in jail, posted $100,000, or 10 percent of the $1 million bond set Saturday.

The terms of Kelly’s release prohibit him from having any contact with females under the age of 18.

Earlier in the day, Kelly pleaded not guilty to 10 felony counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse. He appeared in an orange jumpsuit during his arraignment on four separate indictments.

The indictments describe the case of four women – three of whom were underage at the time of the alleged sexual abuse. Kelly, who was acquitted of child pornography charges in 2008, has denied wrongdoing….
https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/people/2019/02/25/r-kelly-pleads-not-guilty-criminal-sex-abuse-case/2978510002/

‘Surviving R. Kelly’ Executive Producer Reacts to R. Kelly Charges and Singer Being Unable to Make Bail
2/25/2019 by Jackie Strause

The ecosystem that enabled R. Kelly’s alleged toxic behavior, including sexual abuse claims dating back decades, partly explains why the Grammy-nominated R&B singer can’t make bail, Surviving R. Kelly executive producer Dream Hampton said Monday.

“He has gone broke holding women in his studio,” Hampton said during a CBS This Morning interview when reacting to the charges Kelly now faces. “This lifestyle that he has, moving women — girls — state-to-state where their parents can’t find them, he’s gone broke doing this.”

Kelly was arrested Friday on 10 counts of aggravated sexual abuse involving four females, three of whom were minors. He remains jailed after a judge on Saturday set his bond at $1 million. Kelly’s attorney, Steve Greenberg, said meeting Kelly’s $100,000 bail payment while he awaits trial is complicated, blaming mismanagement and bad contracts for why the singer isn’t wealthy despite decades of success. According to CNN, Kelly also owed more than $169,000 in unpaid child support and $166,000 in unpaid rent on his Chicago recording studio, which he has since vacated.

On Monday afternoon, Kelly pleaded not guilty on the sex abuse charges and remained jailed as of the time of this story.

Lifetime’s hit docuseries Surviving R. Kelly has played a key role in Kelly’s indictment. After its debut in January, Chicago prosecutors began seeking information and sent a call out for alleged Kelly victims to come forward. The explosive claims in the six-part doc included sexual abuse allegations from multiple women, several who were underage at the time of the alleged assaults, who were interviewed on-camera….

Hampton, a filmmaker and activist, and her team spoke to many women for Surviving R. Kelly to paint the doc’s horrifying, detailed picture of how Kelly’s alleged abuse spanned 30 years. Many women were featured in the doc, and Hampton says she and her team spoke to many more who would corroborate claims, but who wouldn’t participate on camera for fear of being harassed. Hampton has said she believes Kelly’s behavior went on for so long because many of his victims were black women and society has a “knee-jerk reaction to protect black men” at the expense of black women….

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/surviving-r-kelly-executive-producer-reacts-r-kelly-charges-1190440

Cardinal George Pell, Pope Francis’ top financial adviser, convicted of child sex abuse

Rod McGuirk, Associated Press Feb. 25, 2019

MELBOURNE, Australia – The most senior Catholic cleric ever charged with child sex abuse has been convicted of molesting two choirboys moments after celebrating Mass, dealing a new blow to the Catholic hierarchy’s credibility after a year of global revelations of abuse and cover-up.

Cardinal George Pell, Pope Francis’ top financial adviser and the Vatican’s economy minister, bowed his head but then regained his composure as the 12-member jury delivered unanimous verdicts in the Victoria state County Court on Dec. 11 after more than two days of deliberation.

The court had until Tuesday forbidden publication of any details about the trial.

The convictions were confirmed the same week that Francis concluded his extraordinary summit of Catholic leaders summoned to Rome for a tutorial on preventing clergy sexual abuse and protecting children from predator priests.

The jury convicted Pell of abusing two 13-year-old boys whom he had caught swigging sacramental wine in a rear room of Melbourne’s St. Patrick’s Cathedral in late 1996, as hundreds of worshippers were streaming out of Sunday services.

Pell, now 77 but 55 at the time, had just been named the most senior Catholic in Australia’s second-largest city, Melbourne.

The jury also found Pell guilty of indecently assaulting one of the boys in a corridor more than a month later.

He faces a potential maximum 50-year prison term after a sentencing hearing that begins on Wednesday. He has foreshadowed an appeal.

Pell had maintained his innocence throughout….

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2019/02/25/cardinal-george-pell-convicted-child-sex-abuse/2986107002/

Anglican Church priest arrested for series of sex crimes committed during time with Fresno church

By Corin Hoggard and Jason Oliveira
2/15/19 FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) —

Fresno Police have arrested an Anglican Church priest for a series of sex crimes during his more than a decade with the local church.

Jesus Antonio Castaneda Serna was arrested early Sunday at the Central Fresno church he started — Holy Spirit.

Twenty-two parishioners have come forward to say they’d been victimized by the Anglican Priest but according to police many of the victims are undocumented and afraid to report the crimes to law enforcement.

The arrest comes after a 13-month investigation. Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyers believes the sex crimes date back years and could have hundreds of victims….

Two victims did speak to detectives and say Serna would invite them to his Shaw Avenue office where he would perform what he called a “healing ritual” that involved a massage table, oils and would then turn into sexual contact.

The two male adult victims said Serna told them the repeated rituals would remove a curse or earn them forgiveness for their sins….

https://abc30.com/fresno-police-arrest-anglican-church-priest-for-series-of-sex-crimes/5156232/

The Survivorship Ritual Abuse and Mind Control 2019 Conference

When:
Regular Conference – Saturday and Sunday May 4 – 5, 2019
Clinician’s Conference – Friday May 3, 2019

Where:
Courtyard Marriott Long Beach Airport
Long Beach, California

Survivorship is one of the oldest and most respected organizations supporting survivors of extreme child abuse, including sadistic sexual abuse, ritualistic abuse, mind control, and torture. Survivorship provides resources, healing, and Survivorship community for survivors; training and education for professionals who may serve survivors; and support for survivors’ partners and other allies. The organization functions as a support for survivors who may be isolated emotionally or geographically.

Survivorship, an organization for survivors of ritual abuse, mind control and torture, will be having a conference from May 3 – 5, 2019 at the Courtyard Marriott in Long Beach, California. The purpose of the conference is to help survivors of ritual abuse and their allies. The conference is for survivors, co-survivors, supporters and helping professionals.

Conference speakers will include Dr. Alison Miller, Dr. Randy Noblitt, Joseph Lumbasi and Neil Brick.

https://www.webwire.com/ViewPressRel.asp?aId=235304

https://survivorship.org/ritual-abuse-and-mind-control-2019-conference/

France’s church sex abuse trial, Victim of sex trafficking who killed man granted clemency, Battle to Stop Family Separation, R. Kelly under criminal investigation

–  Cardinal on trial in France’s biggest church sex abuse trial

–  Woman sentenced to life as teen in killing wins clemency

–  The Battle to Stop Family Separation

–  R. Kelly under criminal investigation following Lifetime documentary series; possible victims urged to come forward

Cardinal on trial in France’s biggest church sex abuse trial
NICOLAS VAUX-MONTAGNY Associated Press 7 January 2019

LYON, France (AP) — A Catholic cardinal and five other people went on trial Monday accused of covering up for a pedophile priest who abused Boy Scouts — France’s most important church sex abuse case to date.

The case poses a new challenge to the Vatican, amid growing demands in overwhelmingly Catholic France for a reckoning with decades of sexual abuse by the clergy.

Cardinal Philippe Barbarin, 68, appeared in a Lyon court Monday along with other senior church officials accused of failing to protect children from alleged abuse by the Rev. Bernard Preynat. The top Vatican official in charge of sex abuse cases, Cardinal Luis Ladaria, is among the accused — but won’t appear in court because the Vatican invoked his diplomatic immunity.

Nine people who said the priest abused them in the 1970s and 1980s brought the case to court, and hope it marks a turning point in efforts to hold the French church hierarchy accountable for hushing up abuse. The victims say top clergy were aware of Preynat’s actions for years, but allowed him to be in contact with children until his 2015 retirement.

Despite nationwide attention on the case, it may fall apart for legal reasons. Prosecutors initially threw out it out for insufficient evidence. Barbarin’s lawyer says his client never obstructed justice because the statute of limitations had passed on the acts in question by the time Barbarin was informed….

https://in.news.yahoo.com/cardinal-trial-frances-biggest-church-sex-abuse-trial-082122434.html

Woman sentenced to life as teen in killing wins clemency

A woman who says she was a victim of sex trafficking when she killed a man in 2004 was granted clemency Monday by Tennessee’s governor and will be released from prison

By KIMBERLEE KRUESI

Associated Press

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A woman who says she was a 16-year-old sex trafficking victim when she killed a man in 2004 was granted clemency Monday by Tennessee’s governor and will be released from prison later this year.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam granted clemency to Cyntoia Brown, who had been serving a life sentence but who will be released on parole on Aug. 7 — 15 years from the date she was first arrested.

“Cyntoia Brown committed, by her own admission, a horrific crime at the age of 16. Yet, imposing a life sentence on a juvenile that would require her to serve at least 51 years before even being eligible for parole consideration is too harsh, especially in light of the extraordinary steps Ms. Brown has taken to rebuild her life,” Haslam said in his statement.

Brown, 30, will remain on parole supervision for 10 years on the condition she does not violate any state or federal laws, holds a job, and participates in regular counseling sessions….

Brown was convicted in 2006 of murdering Allen, a Nashville real estate agent. Police said she shot Allen in the back of the head at close range with a gun she brought to rob him after he picked her up at a Sonic Drive-in fast-food restaurant in Nashville to have sex with her.

Brown’s lawyers contended she was a sex trafficking victim who not only feared for her life but also lacked the mental capability to be culpable in the slaying because she was impaired by her mother’s alcohol use while she was in the womb.

According to court documents, Brown ran away from her adoptive family in Nashville in 2004 and began living with a man known as “Cut Throat” in a hotel, who then forced her to become a prostitute. Court documents say the man verbally, physically and sexually assaulted her.

One night, Allen picked up Brown at a Sonic Drive-In and she agreed to engage in sexual activity for $150. Once at his place, Brown eventually got into Allen’s bed. Brown told law enforcement officials she thought he was reaching for a gun, so she shot him with a handgun from her purse.

She took two of his guns and his money from his wallet before fleeing the scene….
https://apnews.com/199ec93abff34bf2a6c79b0ec385419b

The Battle to Stop Family Separation
By Lee Gelernt, Deputy Director, ACLU Immigrants’ Rights Project
December 26, 2018

This piece originally appeared at The New York Review of Books.

In March 2017, John Kelly, then Secretary of Homeland Security, said in an interview with CNN that the Trump administration was considering a national policy to separate parents from their children to deter immigrants from crossing the border into the United States. The proposal triggered a backlash because it was so unpalatable, and the administration didn’t move forward with it. But six months later, in December 2017, The Washington Post and The New York Times reported that the administration was again considering the idea. At the same time, advocates who provide services to children in government custody told ACLU lawyers they were seeing children much younger than the teenagers they usually saw entering their facilities. As the stories began to multiply, the ACLU’s Immigrants’ Rights Project quickly realized that the administration wasn’t considering the separation of children from their parents—it was already doing it.

For at least six months before then Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the zero-tolerance policy of prosecuting every adult who crossed into the United States without permission, which would result in more than 2,000 children being taken from their parents, the Department of Homeland Security had quietly began taking hundreds of children away from their parents to deter would-be asylum seekers from coming to the United States.

We had no idea how many children had been taken from their parents, but we knew we needed to file a class action lawsuit to stop the practice.
https://www.aclu.org/blog/immigrants-rights/immigrants-rights-and-detention/battle-stop-family-separation

R. Kelly under criminal investigation following Lifetime documentary series; possible victims urged to come forward
By Peter Sblendorio NEW YORK DAILY NEWS Jan 08, 2019

An explosive Lifetime documentary series covering distressing allegations against R. Kelly has reportedly prompted a criminal investigation in Georgia, while prosecutors in Chicago are urging any victims to come forward.

Investigators from the Fulton County District Attorney’s office in Atlanta have tried to touch base with some of the women featured in the six-part series, TMZ reported.

Kelly — who’s faced numerous accusations of sexual misconduct, which he’s denied — is accused of manipulating women and controlling their lives….

Kelly, 52, has been accused of inappropriate behavior with multiple underage girls in the past, which he has denied. He allegedly married the late singer Aaliyah in 1994, when she was 15.

Kelly was acquitted in a highly publicized child pornography case in 2008 after being accused of appearing in a sex tape with an underage girl years earlier.

Savage’s father Timothy, meanwhile, accused Kelly’s manager Don Russell of threatening him earlier this month, a police report released by Henry County, Ga. cops reveals. The report claims Russell told Savage it “would be best for him and his family” if the Lifetime series did not air, and that Russell threatened to release information damaging to his “reputation, business, and family” if it did.

An arrest warrant for another Kelly manager, James Mason, was issued last year after he allegedly threatened Timothy….

https://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/music/ny-ent-r-kelly-investigation-20190108-story.html