Memo to R. Kelly: Enough with the video cameras already.
The most notorious sex-tape star this side of Paris and Pam apparently has a costarring role in a new tape that’s at the center of an unfolding extortion scheme targeting New York Yankees star Gary Sheffield. FBI agents in Chicago have arrested a local gadfly, Derrick Mosley, and charged him with threatening to go public with videotapes of a three-way sex romp among a musician–reportedly our friend R–Sheffield’s wife, DeLeon, and another, unidentified woman.
Authorities did not divulge the name of the athlete, his wife, the second woman or the musician, but Sheffield released a statement acknowledging that he was the target of the blackmail scheme.
Sheffield said that his wife had a relationship with a musician a decade ago, before they were married. “I have not seen the alleged videotape, nor do I care to,” Sheffield said in the statement. “I love my wife and I vow again to stand by her through any trial or tribulation.”
“We will not be blackmailed,” the slugger said, adding that he hoped “the FBI and the federal authorities will prosecute this man to the full extent of the law.”
Sheffield also declined to name the musician, but it has been widely circulated by Windy City media that Kelly is the artist in question.
A publicist for Kelly, whose earlier taped antics, allegedly with an underage girl, have him facing kiddie-porn charges, released a statement about the new video.
“We have heard second-hand reports that the tape allegedly shows consenting adults, including someone identified as R. Kelly, engaged in sexual activity. Since we haven’t seen the tape, we can neither confirm nor deny that it is in fact Mr. Kelly,” said Kelly spokesman Allan Mayer.
“We can, however, confirm that no one is suggesting the tape depicts anything but the activities of consenting adults.”
Kelly has pleaded innocent to the kiddie-porn charges; a trial date in that case is pending.
As for Mosley, 38, he was arrested at his home Tuesday and charged with extortion and operating a scheme to defraud. He remains behind bars and is scheduled for a bond hearing on Thursday. Mosley’s lawyer has not yet commented on the allegations.
According to an FBI affidavit, Mosley contacted Sheffield’s manager, Rufus Williams, earlier this month and said he had received two tapes showing the ménage à trois tryst. Mosley described himself as a pastor to Williams and said offered to speak to the athlete’s wife “about reform and her moral standing.”
“Someone else would have called the tabloids and could have made millions if they knew it was Individual A,” Mosley is quoted as saying.
A few days later, after Williams tipped off the FBI, Mosley said he would destroy the “repulsive” tapes and would be amenable to counseling the athlete’s wife for $20,000. Mosley–who served a year behind bars for 1999 bank fraud charges, and remains on probation in that case–made several other calls demanding the money be wired to a bank account. Authorities would not confirm whether Mosley even had the videos.
When not involved in videotape scandals, Kelly has his lawyers busy working on his $75 million lawsuit against Jay-Z over their scuttled Best of Both Worlds Tour. Kelly–who walked off the stage during a New York show and was later pepper-sprayed, allegedly by a Jay-Z lackey–sued the rapper and a concert promoter after being dropped from the tour. Jay-Z has continued the tour by himself.