R Kelly has handed himself in to police to be charged with ten counts of aggravated sexual abuse on underage girls.
The Sun reports that the singer, who has repeatedly denied any sexual misconduct, appeared in court today where the judge set his bail amount or total bond at $1,000,000 ($A1.4 million).
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All incidents involving four victims took place between 1998 and 2010, and at least three were between the ages of 13 and 17, police said.
Kelly, 52 — one of the most successful R & B acts in history — has been plagued by claims of sexual abuse against several women and girls, which he denies.
He has been dogged by allegations that he violated underage girls and women and held some as virtual slaves.
The singer, who was acquitted of child pornography charges in 2008, has consistently denied any sexual misconduct.
Cook County State’s Attorney Kimberly Foxx said Kelly has appeared in court today for a bond hearing on 10 counts.
She said Kelly faces three to seven years in prison on each count.
Kelly was driven to a Chicago police station in a van with tinted windows before making his way through the gathered media — during which he refused to answer questions.
His lawyer Steven Greenberg said Kelly is “extraordinarily disappointed and depressed” — adding: “He is shell-shocked by this.”
Here are some details listed in the grand jury indictments:
Case 1 Initials: H.W.
Incidents occurred between: May 26, 1998 to May 25, 1999 Kelly faces: four counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse. Additional details: H.W. was under age 17 and Kelly was more than five years older than her
Case 2 Initials: R.L.
Incident occurred between: September 26, 1998 and September 25, 2001 Kelly faces: two counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse. Additional details: R.L. was under age 17 and Kelly was more than five years older than her
Case 3 Initials: L.C.
Incident occurred on: February 18, 2003 Kelly faces: 1 count of aggravated criminal sexual abuse.
Case 4 Initials: J.P.
Incidents occurred between May 1, 2009 and January 31, 2010. Kelly faces: three counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse. Additional details: J.P. was under age 17 and Kelly was more than 5 years older than her.
DECADES OF ALLEGATIONS
Celebrity lawyer Michael Avenatti — who has been involved with the claims — reacted to the charges being filed on social media.
He said on Twitter, “It’s over”, before adding: “After 25 years of serial sexual abuse and assault of underage girls, the day of reckoning for R Kelly has arrived.”
And hours later, in a press conference addressing the investigation against the singer, Mr Avenatti told reporters: “I am highly confident that R Kelly will be convicted on multiple counts.”
He said he began a thorough investigation last April after a “concerned parent” approached his office.
Just last week Mr Avenatti gave the State’s Attorney’s Office a sex tape which allegedly featured the R & B singer with an underage girl.
It is not immediately clear if the charges are connected to that video.
HARROWING ‘TAPE’
The 43-minute long tape allegedly shows two explicit scenes featuring a man “who appears to be R Kelly performing multiple sex acts with the girl”, CNN reported.
She allegedly calls him “daddy” multiple times, the report claims, and reportedly refers to her genitals as 14-years-old.
The man allegedly asks the girl to urinate before he urinates on her, the broadcaster claims.
In a statement, Mr Avenatti said his client knows both R Kelly and the girl in the video.
‘OFFERED DRUGS AND ALCOHOL’
News of Kelly’s charge follows fresh explosive claims which were released earlier yesterday.
Latresa Scaff and Rochelle Washington said they were 16 and 15 when the singer allegedly cornered them in a hotel room after a concert in Baltimore.
Speaking at a press conference in New York, the women said Kelly’s security staff picked them out of a concert audience in “either 1995 or 1996”, the BBC reported.
Ms Scaff, now 40, said she and her pal were given cocaine, marijuana and alcohol and invited to wait for the singer in his hotel room.
She further claimed she and Ms Washington were told to “pull up their dresses” ahead of Kelly’s arrival.
When he did arrive, he had his penis exposed and invited the girls to a threesome, Ms Scaff said.
Ms Washington, 39, refused and went to the bathroom while Ms Scaff had sex with Kelly “even though I did not have the ability to consent” due to the drink and drugs, she added.
According to the BBC’s report, the two women are being represented by lawyer Gloria Allred, who said they would be speaking to the US lawyer for the Eastern District of New York on Thursday.
Ms Scaff said she chose to come forward “because of all the other victims”.
She said: “Rochelle and I did what we were told. We were standing, and we had panties on underneath our dresses.”
Kelly has faced claims of sexual abuse for more than two decades.
A recent documentary, Surviving R Kelly, showed accounts of his alleged abuse of women.
The program claimed he ran an “abusive cult” in which he allegedly kept women captive.
Kelly’s lawyers later dismissed the documentary as “another round of stories” being used to “fill reality TV time”.
R Kelly’s lawyer, Steven Greenberg says his client denies all the charges and will fight them in court.
Cook County Judge John Fitzgerald Lyke Jr. said during Saturday’s hearing in Chicago that the amount equals $250,000 ($A350,000) for each of the four people he’s charged with sexually abusing.
Lyke called the allegations against Kelly “disturbing” during the hearing. The singer stared at the floor while the judge was speaking and looked dejected.
The lawyer for Kelly says he thinks the four people the R&B singer is charged with sexually abusing are all lying.
Steve Greenberg made the comment to reporters Saturday after a judge set Kelly’s bond at $1 million.
Justice Fitzgerald ordered R. Kelly to have no contact with any of his victims or with anyone under the age of 18.
This article originally appeared in The Sun and is republished here with permission
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