An R. Kelly superfan from suburban Bolingbrook faces charges for allegedly making threats against prosecutors who led the federal case against the Chicago-born singer in New York.
Christopher Gunn, 39, used his YouTube channel to urge followers to “storm” federal prosecutors’ offices adjacent to the federal courthouse in Brooklyn, where Kelly is to be sentenced on Wednesday on racketeering charges related to having sex with underage girls, according to a federal complaint unsealed Monday.
Gunn appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Young Kim on Monday afternoon and was ordered to be held without bail pending a detention hearing on Wednesday.
Federal prosecutors in New York have asked a judge to sentence Kelly, 55, to 25 years in prison, and the singer still faces charges related to the sexual abuse of minors in Cook County and in federal court in Chicago.
A week after jurors in Brooklyn found Kelly guilty of multiple counts related to trafficking underage girls and attempting to cover up his crimes with bribes and intimidation, Gunn posted a video showing the exterior of the offices used by federal prosecutors and urged followers to “get real familiar” with the location, saying that Kelly fans would “storm the building.”
“We know who is going to stick to everything that I told you,” intoned a voice on the video identified by a Department of Homeland Security agent as Gunn. “Which is that if Kellz goes down, everybody’s going down.”
A YouTube account under Gunn’s username of “DeBoSki Gunn” features dozens of videos about Kelly and his criminal case. The complaint states that Gunn signed a logbook indicating he was in an overflow courtroom during Kelly’s trial in Brooklyn in September. Last week, Gunn used his account to rally Kelly’s fans to meet up during the singer’s sentencing hearing in New York, the complaint states.
“I have a spot for us allllll to link during the trial, see you there,” Gunn posted on YouTube, according to the complaint.
Gunn also allegedly collected cash from fellow fans for ammunition, receiving electronic payments for “30 rounds for the haters” on several occasions.