By Aaron Miller-
Notable singer R Kelly has been charged on Friday with 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse, some involving underage victims, US media report.
The R&B star- real name is Robert Sylvester Kelly- is back to face his demons of sexual allegations which have dogged him for years . It is the first time the singer has been charged with any crimes since he was acquitted of child pornography charges in 2008.
Cook County prosecutors presented their case ebfore before Judge Dennis Porter Friday, where no-bail warrant for Kelly was pronounced
Michael Avenatti, known for representing Stormy Daniels, has a videotape of R. Kelly having sex with a 14-year-old girl to the Cook County state’s attorney’s office, applauded prosecutors for filing charges. It is unclear if the charges are related to the videotape the attorney provided. “The day of reckoning has arrived” for R Kelly, Avenatti said in a tweet.
Prosecutors accuse the singer of sexually abusing four victims between 1998 and 2010 – three of the victims were aged 13 to 16 at the time of their reported assaults.
On Thursday, two new women brought forward fresh allegations of sexual misconduct when they were teenagers in the mid-90s. A warrant for Kelly’s arrest has been issued, police said Friday, and if convicted the singer faces a maximum of seven years in prison for each count. Last week, lawyer Michael Avenatti said that his office had uncovered previously unreleased footage of Kelly having sex with a young girl, which was then handed to the Cook County State Attorney, whose jurisdiction includes Chicago. It is unclear if the c
The US broadcaster CNN is reported to have seen the footage, which is 42 minutes long, and described it as “clear and explicit”He is accused of four counts of aggravated criminal abuse between May 26 1998 and May 25 1999 based on the victim being under 17 and Robert Kelly being more than five years older than the victim. He is also accused of sexual crimes between May 26 1998 and May 25 1999.
Lastly, he is accused of four counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse, based on the victim being under 17 and Robert Kelly being more than five years older than the victim.In a brief news conference Friday, Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx briefly went through the charges and noted that Kelly was expected to appear at a bond hearing Saturday. Each count is a Class 2 felony, punishable by three to seven years in prison or as little as probation. This may be the beginning of the fall of the legendary singer, but the old adage of innocent until proven guilty, still stands.