CHICAGO -- R. Kelly, the R&B star who has been trailed for decades by allegations that he violated underage girls and women and held some as virtual slaves, was charged Friday with aggravated sexual abuse involving four victims, including at least three between the ages of 13 and 17.
In a brief appearance before reporters, Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx announced the 10 counts against the Grammy winner. She said the abuse dated back as far as 1998 and spanned more than a decade. She did not comment on the charges or take questions.
Kelly was driven to a Chicago police station in a dark-colored van with heavily tinted rear windows around 8:15 p.m. Friday. He did not respond to questions from reporters as he walked into the building.
Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi tweeted a short time later that Kelly was under arrest. He was expected to be held overnight before an appearance today in bond court.
Kelly's attorney, Steve Greenberg, told reporters after the singer's arrest that one of the charges he faces appears to be tied to a decade-old child pornography case.
"Double jeopardy should bar that case," Greenberg said. "He won that case."
Kelly, who was acquitted of child pornography charges in 2008, has consistently denied any sexual misconduct.
Best known for hits such as "I Believe I Can Fly" and "Ignition (Remix)," Kelly, 52, was charged a week after Michael Avenatti, the attorney whose clients have included adult-film star Stormy Daniels, said he recently gave Chicago prosecutors new video evidence of the singer having sex with an underage girl.
At a news conference earlier Friday in Chicago, Avenatti said a 14-year-old girl seen with Kelly on the video is among four victims mentioned in the indictment. He said the footage shows two separate scenes on two separate days at Kelly's residence in the late 1990s.
During the video, both the victim and Kelly refer to her age 10 times, he said.
"I don't know what the tape is," Greenberg said of the video Avenatti gave prosecutors. "We haven't seen it. No one's showed us the tape."
The video surfaced during a 10-month investigation by Avenatti's office. He told The Associated Press that the person who provided the VHS tape knew both Kelly and the girl in the video.
Each count carries up to seven years in prison. If Kelly is convicted on all 10 counts, a judge could decide that the sentences run one after the other -- making it possible for him to receive up to 70 years behind bars. Probation is also an option under the statute.
Greenberg said he offered to sit down with prosecutors before charges were filed to discuss why the allegations were "baseless." But they refused, he said.
"Unfortunately, they have succumbed to the court of public opinion, who've convicted him," he said.
Legally and professionally, the walls had begun closing in on Kelly.
Jim DeRogatis, a longtime music critic for the Chicago Sun-Times, wrote a story for BuzzFeed in 2017 about the allegations that Kelly was holding women against their will in Georgia.
A BBC documentary about Kelly was released last year, and the multipart Lifetime documentary Surviving R. Kelly aired last month. Together they detailed allegations he was holding women against their will and running a "sex cult."
After the latest documentary, Foxx said she was "sickened" by the allegations and asked potential victims to come forward.
The singer and songwriter, whose legal name is Robert Kelly, rose from poverty on Chicago's South Side and has retained a sizable following, despite the accusations. He has written numerous hits for himself and other artists, including Celine Dion, Lady Gaga and Michael Jackson, for whom Kelly's "You Are Not Alone" was a No. 1 hit. His collaborators have included Jay-Z and Usher.
Kelly broke into the R&B scene in 1993 with his first solo album, "12 Play," which produced such popular sex-themed songs as "Bump N' Grind" and "Your Body's Callin'."
Information for this article was contributed by Amanda Seitz of The Associated Press.
A Section on 02/23/2019