R. Kelly arrested on federal sex crime charges
R. Kelly is in custody once again.
The singer, who was out on bail and awaiting trial for sex abuse charges in Chicago, was arrested again on Thursday on a 13-count federal grand jury indictment, per the Associated Press.
“The counts include child porn, enticement of a minor and obstruction of justice,” Joseph Fitzpatrick, the U.S. Attorney's spokesperson, said.
Kelly has been in the news significantly in 2019. Back in January, the R&B singer was the subject of a six-part Lifetime documentary Surviving R. Kelly, which featured multiple women coming forward with harrowing accusations and accounts of the abuse they'd suffered at his hands. The documentary even prompted a statement from Kelly's estranged daughter, in which she addressed his accusers, and called her father "terrible" and a "monster".
In February, Kelly was charged with 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse, involving four victims — three of whom were minors at the time of the alleged abuse. He was then charged with 11 additional counts in May. The singer pleaded not guilty.
Accusations of sexual misconduct against R. Kelly stretch back years. He faced trial on child pornography charges over a decade ago, but was acquitted in 2008. In 2017, a BuzzFeed feature alleged that Kelly was holding multiple women in an abusive "cult".
The more recent accusations have seen previous superstar collaborators like Lady Gaga apologising for their work with Kelly — even his record label finally dropped him following the documentary backlash, and Spotify vowed to stop promoting his music (while admitting they bungled the process).
Kelly has long denied all charges, most notably in a recent interview with CBS This Morning's Gayle King, in which he dished out verbal abuse at the incredibly composed TV host.
Details of the latest charges against Kelly are fairly limited at this point, but Fitzpatrick has said more information will be available Friday.
Topics Music Celebrities
