The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
R. Kelly accused of sexual abuse
At least 3 are underage; R&B singer has denied persistent allegations.
R&B star was charged Friday by Chicago police in case involving four females.
CHICAGO — 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 charged Friday 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’s Kim Foxx announced the 10 countsagainstthe 52-yearold Grammy winner. She said the abuse dated back as far as 1998 and spanned more than a decade. She did not comment on the charges or take questions.
The singer, who has consistently denied any sexual misconduct, was to appear in court Saturday. A message seeking comment from Kelly’s attorney, Steve Greenberg, was not immediately returned.
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.
Best known for hits such as “I Believe I Can Fly,” 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 with an underage girl. It was not immediately clear if the charges were connected to that video, which Avenatti said includes audio in which Kelly and the girl say several times that she is 14 years old.
Avenatti said the charges marked “a watershed moment in the 25 years of abuse” by Kelly and that he believes more than 10 other people associated with Kelly should be charged as “enablers.”
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 depicted 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 could have gotten 15 years in prison.
Charging Kelly now with sexual assault 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.
Each count carries up to seven years in prison.