R. Kelly Charged With 10 Counts of Aggravated Criminal Sexual Abuse
R. Kelly has officially been charged with sexual abuse in Chicago.
On Friday afternoon (Feb. 22), Chicago Sun-Times reported that the controversial singer had been charged with 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse in Illinois' Cook County. Kelly's first court date for the case is reportedly set for March 8.
This news arrives just over a week after famed attorney Michael Avenatti claimed that he'd found a new tape that included footage of the singer having sex with an underage girl. Avenatti announced the development through a statement he posted to Twitter on Feb. 14. Today, shortly after this news was announced, Avenatti once again stepped forward to speak on Kelly and the case surrounding him.
"After 25 years of serial sexual abuse and assault of underage girls, the day of reckoning for R Kelly has arrived," Avenatti wrote in one tweet. "We will discuss our investigation, new evidence and new developments in the R. Kelly matter at our press conf at 4pm today local time at 800 N Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL. This will follow the press conf of Kim Foxx."
Since the airing of the explosive Surviving R. Kelly docuseries earlier this year, activists and law enforcement have been working with the families of the singer's alleged victims to bring charges against him, but until now, nothing was really sticking. Before this news, the largest tangible effect of the docu-series was Kelly's record label parting ways with him.
News of Kelly facing this sexual abuse charge comes hours after TMZ reported that two women recently faced a Chicago grand jury and testified that R. Kelly had sexually abused minors. One of people who testified reportedly provided physical evidence.
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