R. Kelly Coughs Up $62K in Back Child Support to Avoid Jail Time

R&B singer R. Kelly narrowly avoids jail time again after forking over the back child support owed to his ex-wife Drea Kelly, TMZ reports.

He reportedly appeared in a Cook County courtroom earlier today (Wednesday, May 8) and paid more than $62,000. He was ordered to over $20,000 per month to Drea, but today’s payment covers March, April and May.

The celebrity gossip site reports Kelly’s crisis manager, Darrell Johnson, said that after paying the principal balance of the child support, Kelly also put June, July, and August payments in an escrow account, and he “now looks forward to clearing his name in and being cleared of all charges in the near future,” says Johnson.

However, Kelly still Drea $32k in interest on child support. Added to that, Drea is now requesting Robert to pay for educational expenses for their 21-year-old daughter, Joann, whose alias is Buku Abi. Kelly’s attorney asked the court for proof that she is actually enrolled in school.