XPost: alt.politics.democrats, alt.fan.rush-limbaugh, sac.politics
XPost: alt.gossip.celebrities

GoFundMe on Wednesday said it has shut down several crowdfunding
campaigns Opens a New Window. 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 Opens
a New Window. 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.”

Kelly is forbidden to have contact with women under the age of
18. He was previously acquitted of child pornography charges in
2008.

https://www.foxbusiness.com/features/gofundme-disables-r-kelly- fundraising-campaigns-for-legal-fees

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