R. Kelly is facing new charges of ‘child porn and obstruction of justice’ and more as of July 11, after already being charged with 11 counts of sexual abuse in May.
The charges keep piling on for R. Kelly, 52. Despite pleading not guilty to 11 felonies for sexual abuse in June and an attempt to defend his name in an explosive interview with CBS in March, the R&B singer was arrested on federal sex trafficking charges in Chicago on July 11, TMZ reported. The charges are part of a 13-count indictment from the Northern District of Illinois, which specifically include charges of “child porn and obstruction of justice,” spokesperson Joseph Fitzpatrick from The U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Northern District told the outlet. Our correspondent has reached out to Kelly’s lawyer for comment, but did not hear back at the time of publication.
This latest development in Kelly’s ongoing legal battle comes after he was handed five counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse, four counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault and two counts of criminal sexual assault on May 30, TMZ also reported. That was after Kelly turned himself into the Chicago PD on Feb. 22, following a 10-count indictment of aggravated criminal sexual abuse that allegedly involved four women, three who were minors at the time of the alleged attacks.
Shortly before the grand jury handed down the charges in February, both CNN and celebrity lawyer Michael Avenatti claimed to have watched a video of Kelly allegedly having sex with a 14-year-old girl — Kelly’s lawyer, Steve Greenberg, denied this accusation in a lengthy statement to our correspondent.
In 2002, Kelly was arrested on 21 counts of making child pornography in relation to one girl, but he was eventually found not guilty (in addition to denying the claims). However, there has been renewed interest in Kelly after sex cult allegations surfaced in 2017, and after alleged victims of sex abuse came forward in the six-part Lifetime documentary Surviving R. Kelly, which aired in Jan. 2019. Kelly has continued to deny every allegation against him.
This latest development in Kelly’s ongoing legal battle comes after he was handed five counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse, four counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault and two counts of criminal sexual assault on May 30, TMZ also reported. That was after Kelly turned himself into the Chicago PD on Feb. 22, following a 10-count indictment of aggravated criminal sexual abuse that allegedly involved four women, three who were minors at the time of the alleged attacks.
Shortly before the grand jury handed down the charges in February, both CNN and celebrity lawyer Michael Avenatti claimed to have watched a video of Kelly allegedly having sex with a 14-year-old girl — Kelly’s lawyer, Steve Greenberg, denied this accusation in a lengthy statement to our correspondent.
In 2002, Kelly was arrested on 21 counts of making child pornography in relation to one girl, but he was eventually found not guilty (in addition to denying the claims). However, there has been renewed interest in Kelly after sex cult allegations surfaced in 2017, and after alleged victims of sex abuse came forward in the six-part Lifetime documentary Surviving R. Kelly, which aired in Jan. 2019. Kelly has continued to deny every allegation against him.
Source : HolywoodLife
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