Richard Brandon Coleman: Conviction, Jakes Allegations, and Lawsuit

Richard Brandon Coleman is a former Dallas-based Christian rapper, known by the stage name SkiiVentura and formerly married to Cora Jakes, who is serving a twenty-year Texas prison sentence for the sexual assault of a child. He was convicted in Ellis County in October 2023 and remains incarcerated at the Garza East facility, with his earliest parole eligibility in 2032. In 2026, an attorney claiming to represent Coleman announced plans to sue his former father-in-law, Bishop T.D. Jakes, alleging sexual abuse — claims Jakes has denied.

Who Coleman Is

Coleman performed as SkiiVentura and built a following as a Christian rapper based in Dallas.¹ He married Cora Jakes, the eldest daughter of Bishop T.D. Jakes of The Potter’s House megachurch, on June 4, 2011.² The couple adopted two children, Amauri and Jason, during the marriage.³

Cora Jakes announced their divorce on Instagram in January 2022, and it was finalized by mid-2022.³⁴ A Jakes family spokesperson later said the divorce was prompted by Coleman’s abusive behavior and that Cora had “immediately contacted the authorities” upon learning of the allegations against him.²

The Ellis County Conviction

Coleman was arrested on May 4, 2022, and booked into the Wayne McCollum Detention Center in Waxahachie, Texas, on charges related to the sexual abuse of a child. Bond was set at $150,000.⁴

He was convicted on two counts in Ellis County, Texas (Case No. 48501CR). On October 23, 2023, he was sentenced to twenty years on each count, to be served concurrently:

Aggravated sexual assault of a child, offense date July 28, 2021.
Indecency with a child by contact, offense date August 11, 2021.

Sources indicated that Jason, the couple’s younger adopted son, was not identified as the victim in the criminal case.²

Where Coleman Is Now

Texas Department of Criminal Justice records list Coleman under TDCJ Number 02480702, housed at the Garza East facility. His earliest parole eligibility date is April 22, 2032, and his maximum sentence date is April 23, 2042.⁵ He is not scheduled for release.

The Allegations Against T.D. Jakes

In mid-2026, attorney Tyrone Blackburn submitted a filing to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania alleging that T.D. Jakes had engaged in “grooming, sexual assault, sexting, and transporting [males] across state lines” in violation of the Mann Act. Blackburn named Coleman as one of his clients and said he intended to file a civil suit on Coleman’s behalf, and on behalf of other unnamed alleged male victims, against T.D. Jakes and Cora Jakes.⁶

Jakes has denied all allegations of sexual misconduct. In an affidavit filed in a related defamation case, he stated: “The statements in these affidavits purport to describe situations where I harbored carnal desires for these men. These statements are knowingly and flagrantly false. I am repulsed by these defamatory accusations.”⁷

Jakes’ attorney, Dustin A. Pusch, disputed the scope of Blackburn’s claims. Pusch said Blackburn had previously threatened a class-action lawsuit in December 2024 that “never materialized” and that his most recent filing represented only Coleman, not a broader group of accusers.⁶

The Attorney Behind the Claims

Blackburn’s filings on behalf of Coleman surfaced during his representation of a separate accuser, Pittsburgh pastor Duane Youngblood, in a defamation suit Jakes had brought against Youngblood. That case produced a serious sanctions ruling against Blackburn.

U.S. District Judge William S. Stickman IV found that filings submitted by Blackburn contained “misrepresentations and fabrications of relevant case law.” In a June 2025 memorandum order, Judge Stickman described the conduct as “a clear ethical violation of the highest order” and stated that Blackburn appeared to have used artificial intelligence to generate legal briefs without verifying their accuracy. Blackburn acknowledged using an AI tool that “merged fact patterns and mismatched citations,” saying he lacked paralegal support.⁸

Blackburn was ordered to pay more than $76,000 to Jakes’ legal team for fees incurred because of the fabricated filings.⁹ He then moved to withdraw from representing Youngblood.⁸

Status of the Threatened Lawsuit

The civil suit Blackburn threatened on Coleman’s behalf against T.D. Jakes and Cora Jakes has not been filed as of the latest reporting.⁶

The related Jakes v. Youngblood defamation case, in which the abuse claims first drew public attention, was voluntarily dismissed by consent of both parties on October 16, 2025, without prejudice, under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 41(a)(1)(A)(ii). An attorney for Jakes said earlier court rulings in Jakes’ favor and the “established record” proving the “utter falsity” of Youngblood’s claims made further litigation unnecessary.¹⁰⁷

Coleman’s conviction and prison sentence stand independent of the civil allegations against Jakes. He remains in TDCJ custody, and the threatened suit against his former in-laws has not moved from announcement to filing.

1
Dallas Observer. SkiiVentura Is a Christian Rapper From Dallas
2
Christian Post. Cora Jakes Coleman Addresses Adoption Rumor
3
ChurchLeaders. Cora Jakes Coleman Announces Divorce From Rapper SkiiVentura
4
EEW Magazine. Cora Jakes Accused of Spiritual Manipulation as Ex-Husband Remains Jailed for Child Sexual Abuse
5
Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Inmate Detail – Coleman, Richard Brandon
6
Christian Post. T.D. Jakes’ Ex-Son-in-Law Claims Megachurch Founder Abused Him
7
Christian Post. T.D. Jakes Voluntarily Dismisses Defamation Lawsuit
8
Dallas Morning News. Attorney of Man T.D. Jakes Is Suing for Defamation Withdraws From Case Amid Ethics Concern
9
ChurchLeaders. T.D. Jakes Lawsuit: Tyrone Blackburn Sanctioned for AI Use
10
CourtListener. Jakes v. Youngblood Docket