R. Kellyhas been charged with criminal sexual abuse.
The alleged incidents all occurred between May 1998 and January 2010.
Aggravated criminal sexual abuse is a Class 2 felony with a sentencing range of three to seven years per change, and is probationable.
According to the Associated Press, a no-bail arrest warrant has been issued for Kelly. “We anticipate [Kelly] will appear in bond court tomorrow [Saturday] afternoon,” Foxx said at the conclusion of the press conference.
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Both Kelly’s attorney, Steven Greenberg, and the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office did not immediately reply to PEOPLE’s request for comment. Kelly, however, hasrepeatedly denied all accusations of sexual abuseor misconduct made against him.
“After 25 years of serial sexual abuse and assault of underage girls,the day of reckoning for R Kelly has arrived,” he added.
Avenatti previously told CNNthat Cook County prosecutors investigating the allegations facing the embattled singer were given the previously unknown, 45-minute-long tape earlier this month on behalf of his client, a “whistleblower” who previously worked with the star.
The explicit video reportedly shows a man “who appears to be R. Kelly” and a girl having sex as they make mention of her “14-year-old” genitalia six different times, according to CNN.
The man also allegedly asks the girl to urinate on him, and she obliges.
Avenatti, who also represents Stormy Daniels — an adult film star who has claimed she had an affair with President Donald Trump, which he denies — said in a statement that he took on “multiple” clients with connections to Kelly last April, and has been poring through documents and evidence in the months since.
“It has now resulted in the discovery of significant new evidence conclusively establishing Mr. Kelly’s illegal sexual assault of young girls,” he alleged in a statement on Twitter. “Mr. Kelly is a predator and a criminal who has prayed [sic] on young, vulnerable girls for far too long. The time has come for him to finally be held accountable for his actions.” PEOPLE has not viewed the tape, and can not independently verify its contents.
On Feb. 14, State’s Attorney’s Office chief communications officer Tandra R. Simonton told CNN, “We cannot confirm or deny an investigation.
The “I Believe I Can Fly” singer’s attorney Steve Greenberg told CNN he was “unaware” of any new information regarding his client.
Greenberg later replied to PEOPLE’s request for comment in a lengthy statement, reproduced here in part.
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RELATED VIDEO: Lawyer for R. Kelly Denies All Sexual Abuse Allegations Against the R&B Singer
The actions reportedly featured in the tape echo that of a similar act featured in a sex tape allegedly showing Kelly and another underage girl that led to his 2002 arrest on child pornography charges. Six years later, a Cook County jury found Kelly not guilty on all 14 counts.
Kelly’s alleged behavior came to the media forefront again in July 2017, when BuzzFeed published a bombshell report accusing the star of running a “sex cult” out of his Chicago and Atlanta-area homes.
The star was reported to have seduced a slew of young women with the promise of helping them kickstart a music career, only to “groom” them into being his personal sex objects for whom he allegedly controlled every aspect of their lives.
Kelly has repeatedly denied all claims against him, though a renewed interest in the allegations emerged earlier this year with the release of the Lifetime documentary seriesSurviving R. Kelly.
“We are proud that Lifetime was able to provide a platform for survivors to be heard,” producers of the documentary told PEOPLE Friday in a statement.
If you suspect domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
source: people.com
