R Kelly has claimed that he paid a government worker for a fake ID in order to help secure marriage between Kelly and an underage Aaliyah.Demetrius Smith spoke at the singer’s trial in Brooklyn, New York on Friday (August 19), alleging that Kelly had persuaded him to obtain fake ID so that the then 15-year-old Aaliyah could marry him.Smith claimed that he paid $500 (£367) for an ID used by Kelly, then aged 27, to wed Aaliyah.
Earlier court documents reportedly said that the bribe was paid on August 30, 1994 – one day before the marriage licence was issued [via BBC News].Kelly is accused of sexual abuse, racketeering and bribery.
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