December 14, 2023 / By mobanmarket
CHICAGO — The Chicago publicist awaiting trial in Fulton County, Georgia, on charges she conspired to solicit false statements and influence witnesses appears to have livestreamed herself threatening a witness while out on bail.
Trevian Kutti is a former publicist for Kanye West and R. Kelly, clothing store owner and, more recently, lobbyist in Illinois for a Canadian cannabis corporation. State prosecutors allege Kutti and 18 other associates of former President Donald Trump took part in a racketeering scheme with the former president to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in Georgia.
Kutti is accused of conspiring with Black Voices for Trump leader Harrison Floyd, a former mixed martial arts fighter, Scott Hall, an Atlanta-area bail bondsman and Orland Park pastor Stephen Lee, in a scheme to get a Georgia election worker to confess to voter fraud.
According to prosecutors and congressional testimony, Kutti showed up at the home of the worker, who had been falsely accused of fraud on Jan. 4, 2021. Kutti allegedly claimed she was trying to help the election worker while making various threats, in a conversation that was partially captured by police body-worn camera.
Kutti is out on bail after turning herself in on Aug. 25 and posting $7,500 cash bond. The terms of her pretrial release require her not to post anything about the facts of the case on social media. She also agreed to “perform no act to intimidate any person known to her to be a codefendant or a witness in this case or to otherwise obstruct the administration of justice.”
During a Nov. 26 video livestreamed from her Instagram account, Kutti solicited donations from viewers and criticized commenters, according to portions of the stream later posted online. She said she was not posting to social media as frequently because she was “focusing on taking down the ho,” without specifying to whom she was referring.
“As a matter of fact, there’s a woman sitting somewhere who knows this whole thing is a lie, who knows I never did anything to her, who knows I never asked— who knows she begged me for help,” Kutti said. “There’s a woman sitting somewhere who knows that I’m going to f___ her whole life up when this was done.”
Kutti’s attorney, Steve Greenberg, said trying to interpret her comments as a threat is like trying to fit a round peg into a square hole.
“Ms. Kutti has a First Amendment right to comment and certainly did not violate her bond,” Greenberg told the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
Fulton County prosecutors last month asked a judge to revoke the bond of Floyd, Kutti’s co-defendant, over comments he made on social media and podcasts.
The judge ruled on Nov. 21 that Floyd had indeed violated the bond agreement but not egregiously enough to be sent to jail and instead modified the terms of the deal.
Kutti’s remarks were first reported by MeidasTouch, which identifies itself as an independently operated “pro-democracy news network.” Its website identifies it as a “channel” of The Arena Group, the parent company of Sports Illustrated and other media brands.
In a statement to WBEZ after her indictment, Kutti said she had learned from R. Kelly and West the extent to which “strong people” like Trump face false accusations.
“I am no politician and have no interest in being one,” she said. “I would like to quote Ye, one of my favorite people I have worked with: ‘The media is trying to crucify me like I’m Christ.’”
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