R. Kelly could face up to 70 years in prison if convicted

R. KELLY, THE R&B star who has been trailed for decades by allegations that he violated underage girls and women and held some as virtual slaves, was scheduled to appear in court yesterday after being charged with aggravated sexual abuse involving four victims, including at least three between the ages of 13 and 17.

In a brief appearance before reporters, Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx on Friday announced the 10 counts against the singer, whose real name is Robert Kelly. She said the abuse dated back as far as 1998 and spanned more than a decade. Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi tweeted that Kelly was under arrest. He was to be held overnight before his appearance in bond court yesterday. Kelly’s attorney, Steve Greenberg, told reporters following the singer’s arrest that one of the charges was tied to a decade-old child pornography case. Kelly, who was acquitted of child por-

nography charges in 2008, has consistently denied any sexual misconduct.

Greenberg said prosecutors rushed to judgment on Friday in charging Kelly, calling the singer “an innocent man.” Kelly was charged a week after attorney Michael Avenatti said he gave prosecutors new video evidence of the singer with an underage girl. Avenatti said a 14-year-old girl seen with R. Kelly on the video is among four victims mentioned in the indictment. He said the footage shows two separate scenes on

two separate days at Kelly’s residence in the late 1990s. Avenatti said he represents six clients, including two victims, two parents and two people he describes as “knowing R. Kelly and being within his inner circle.”

The new charges marked “a watershed moment,” Avenatti said, adding that he believes more than 10 other people associated with Kelly should be charged as “enablers”. Avenatti said that the person who provided the VHS tape knew both Kelly and the female in the video.

The jury in 2008 acquitted Kelly of child pornography charges that arose from a graphic video that prosecutors said showed him being intimate with a girl as young as 13. He and the young woman allegedly seen with him denied they were in the 27-minute video. Charging Kelly now for actions that occurred in the same time frame as the allegations from the 2008 trial suggests the accusers are cooperating 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 lesser offence under Illinois law, child pornography, which required a lower standard of evidence.

Each count of the new charges 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.