R. Kelly was charged Friday with 10 counts of aggravated criminal sex abuse in Cook County, Illinois, records show.
Prosecutors also went to court to obtain an arrest warrant for the 52-year-old R&B performer, according to the Chicago Sun Times. He is expected to appear in court March 8 to deal with the charges. (RELATED: Superstar Rapper Says He Failed Alleged R. Kelly Survivors: ‘We Failed Our Communities As Black People’)
Singer R. Kelly reaches out to fans as he performs during the Red Light Concert series at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port-of-Spain, November 2, 2013. Picture taken November 2, 2013. REUTERS/Andrea De Silva
Kelly’s attorney, Steven Greenberg, told the outlet he had not yet heard of the charges against his client. But he has previously shared that the singer denies any wrongdoing.
This comes after Fox News reported that two more women have come forward and accused the “Bump N’ Grind” hitmaker of sexual misconduct and rape.
Michael Avenatti, who recently claimed to have turned over a video tape to authorities that showed Kelly allegedly having sex with an underage girl, praised authorities for filing charges. It is unclear at this point if the video has anything to do with the latest charges. (RELATED: Fans Don’t React To R. Kelly’s Boycott Over Sexual Abuse Allegations The Way You’d Expect)
“Included in the evidence we recently uncovered and recovered is a VHS videotape of Mr. Kelly engaging in multiple sexual assaults of a girl underage,” Avenatti shared. “This tape, which is clear, is approximately 45 minutes in length and has never previously been publicly disclosed or, until recently, provided to law enforcement.”
“‘The day of reckoning has arrived’ for R Kelly,” Avenatti tweeted.
After 25 years of serial sexual abuse and assault of underage girls, the day of reckoning for R Kelly has arrived.
— Michael Avenatti (@MichaelAvenatti) February 22, 2019
The issuing of charges comes on the heels of years of accusations that the singer has abused and forced many underage girls into a “sex cult.” A recent Lifetime docuseries, “Surviving R.Kelly,” focused on the numerous domestic and sexual assault allegations against the embattled singer that have been brought forth by several of his accusers.