National Post (National Edition)
R. Kelly charged with 10 counts of sex abuse
Lurid rumours have followed singer for years
CHICAG O • R. Kelly, the R& B star who has been trailed for decades by lurid rumours that made him Public Enemy No. 1 to the #MeToo movement, was charged Friday with 10 counts of aggravated sexual abuse involving four victims, including at least three between the ages of 13 and 17.
Some of the alleged abuse went back at least as far as 1998, according to charging documents.
An indictment unsealed Friday specifically referred to abuse that took place around Feb. 18, 2003. The indictment provides no detail.
The singer was to appear in court Saturday.
A message seeking comment from Kelly’s attorney, Steve Greenberg, was not immediately returned.
Over the years, Kelly, who is best known for hits such as I Believe I Can Fly, has consistently denied any sexual misconduct.
His arrest sets the stage for another #MeToo-era celebrity trial.
Bill Cosby went to prison last year, and former Hollywood studio boss Harvey Weinstein is awaiting trial.
Kelly was charged a week after Michael Avenatti, the attorney whose clients have included porn star Stormy Daniels, said he recently gave Chicago prosecutors new video evidence of the singer having sex with an underage girl. It was not immediately clear if the charges were connected to that video.
In 2008, a jury acquitted Kelly of child pornography charges over a graphic video that prosecutors said showed him having sex with a girl as young as 13.
He and the young woman allegedly depic ted with him denied they were in the 27- minute video, even though the picture quality was good and witnesses testified it was them, and she did not take the stand. Kelly, whose legal name is Robert Kelly, could have gotten 15 years in prison. Charging Kelly now with sexual assault for actions that occurred within the same time frame as the allegations from the 2008 trial suggests the accusers are co- operating this time and willing to testify.
Because the alleged victim 10 years ago denied that she was on the video and did not testify, the state’s attorney office had little recourse except to charge the less offence under Illinois law, child pornography, which requires a lower standard of evidence.
Each count carries up to seven years in prison.
If Kelly is convicted on all 10 counts, a judge could decide that the sentences run one after the other — making it possible for him to receive up to 70 years behind bars.
Probation is also an option under the statute.
Legally and professionally, the walls began closing in on Kelly after the release of a BBC documentary about him last year and the multipart Lifetime documentary Surviving R. Kelly, which aired last month.
Together they detailed allegations he was holding women against their will and running a “sex cult.”
After the latest documentary, Chicago’s top prosecutor, Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx, said she was “sickened” by the allegations and asked potential victims to come forward.
#MeToo activists and a social media movement using the hashtag # MuteRKelly called on streaming services to drop Kelly’s music and promoters not to book any more concerts.
And protesters demonstrated outside Kelly’s Chicago studio.
Greenberg said earlier this year that his client was the victim of a TV hit piece and that Kelly “never knowingly had sex with an underage woman, he never forced anyone to do anything, he never held anyone captive, he never abused anyone.”
Avenatti said his office was retained last April by people regarding allegations of sexual assault of minors by Kelly. He said the video surfaced during a 10-month investigation.
He told the AP that the person who provided the VHS tape knew both Kelly and the female in the video.
Despite accusations that span decades, the singer and songwriter who rose from poverty on Chicago’s South Side has retained a sizable following. He has written numerous hits for himself and other artists, including Celine Dion, Michael Jackson and Lady Gaga. His collaborators have included Jay-Z and Usher.
Kelly broke into the R&B scene in 1993 with his first solo album, 12 Play, which produced such popular sexthemed songs as Bump N’ Grind and Your Body’s Callin’.