R. Kelly has surrendered to police in Chicago, Illinois after he was indicted on multiple felony sex abuse charges.
Kelly is facing 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse involving four victims. Three of the women were reportedly minors at the time of the alleged encounters, which took place between 1998 and 2010.
A no-bond warrant was issued for Kelly’s arrest shortly after the charges were announced on Friday, and that night, he turned himself in to authorities.
The 52 year old’s attorney, Steven Greenberg, reveals his client will “go to bond court” on Saturday, and is confident he will eventually “be acquitted”.
The alleged victims were only identified by their initials during a press conference held by State Attorney Kim Foxx, but California lawyer Michael Avenatti has since confirmed he is representing one of the females involved in the criminal case.
His client is said to be featured in an alleged Kelly sex tape Avenatti turned over to prosecutors earlier this month (Feb19), which prompted authorities to convene a grand jury to determine whether charges should be filed against the musician.
The explicit footage reportedly depicted the R&B star engaging in various sex acts, including some said to be with a 14-year-old girl in the late 1990s.
Avenatti has declined to state if his client is the underaged female on the tape, but he believes Kelly will now be brought to justice.
“I am highly confident that at the end of this journey, R. Kelly will be convicted on multiple counts,” he said.
Kelly faces the possibility of three to seven years behind bars for each of the crimes, if convicted.
The singer has been under intense scrutiny since January (19), following the broadcast of damning docuseries Surviving R. Kelly.
The show chronicled the long-running accusations made against the star, and also examined rumours suggesting he had been holding girls and young women captive at properties in Chicago and Atlanta, Georgia as part of a purported sex cult – accusations his attorneys have repeatedly denied.
Kelly was previously cleared of 14 counts of child pornography in 2008, following the 2002 release of a sex tape showing the singer urinating on a female who was allegedly underage.
Follow Noise11 on Twitter for news as it happens
For news as it happens follow Noise11 on Facebook
Listen to the Noise11 Music News channel now at iHeartRadio
Gavin Ryan reports with thanks to Australian-Charts.com
