R. Kelly has been charged with 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse involving four victims, three of whom were minors, over a span of 12 years, Chicago Sun-Times reports. Records show a judge in Cook County, Illinois approved a no-bail arrest warrant for Kelly. According to The Guardian, he turned himself in to Chicago police on Friday night.
Several of the charges stem from a newly found video by attorney Michael Avenatti that allegedly shows Kelly having sex with a 14-year-old girl, USA TODAY reports.
These charges come after Lifetime screened documentary series Surviving R.Kelly in January. The documentary outlined several sexual and physical abuse allegations against the 52-year-old singer from the perspective of the survivors. Last month, The New York Times reported that Kelly was already being investigated by prosecutors in Chicago and Atlanta.
The Chicago Tribune reports that this is the second time that Kelly has been charged with a sex crime by Cook County prosecutors, as he was acquitted in 2008 for allegedly filming himself engaged in sexual intercourse with a girl estimated to be 13 years old.
Avenatti, a well-known attorney, provided a videotape of Kelly having sex with a minor to the Cook County state’s attorney’s office, and recently tweeted that "it's over."
R. Kelly's attorney, Steven Greenberg, continues to deny the allegations and expressed that the singer would be cleared of any possible charges. His court date is currently scheduled for March 8.
For more details about this developing case, revisit our timeline of R. Kelly's abuse allegations.
If you have been sexually assaulted, there are resources to help you.
