Know Your Value</s>Chicago (CNN) Singer R. Kelly was placed in handcuffs as he entered a Chicago police station Friday night, hours after he was indicted on 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse -- a class 2 felony -- involving four alleged victims.

His attorney, Steve Greenberg, said Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx succumbed to public pressure and that his client is an innocent man.

"I think all the women are lying," Greenberg said.

Kelly didn't speak to the media.

"Mr. Kelly is strong, he's got a lot of support and he's going to be vindicated on all these charges -- one by one if it has to be," Greenberg said.

Kelly is scheduled to appear in court Saturday for a bail hearing, Foxx said Friday while announcing the charges. Arraignment is set for March 8.

The charges handed up in an indictment from a grand jury span from 1998 to 2010, Foxx said.

If convicted, Kelly faces three to seven years in prison for each count.

He has strongly denied the accusations.

The indictment accuses Kelly of sexual acts with three children older than 13 but younger than 17. There is no age range listed for one of the alleged victims. The charges say Kelly used force or the threat of force.

Homeland Security Investigations is involved in an investigation of Kelly, an US Immigration and Customs Enforcement official said. The official did not provide any details. The news was first reported by The New Yorker.

Newly discovered video

A grand jury was convened in Cook County , Illinois, earlier this month in connection with new allegations against Kelly, two sources close to the case told CNN.

That came on the heels of attorney Michael Avenatti announcing he had handed over to the State's Attorney's Office a videotape that he said showed Kelly having sex with an underage girl.

"This tape leaves no question as to whether R. Kelly is guilty of multiple sexual, illegal acts against a 14-year-old girl," he told reporters Friday. He said Foxx's investigation was "very thorough ... dedicated and methodical."

Greenberg told CNN earlier this month he had not been notified of a grand jury. After being asked about the new tape, he said separately he and his colleagues were unaware of any new information involving Kelly.

CNN has seen the VHS tape that appears to show Kelly having sex with a girl who refers to her body parts as 14 years old.

Kelly's attorney said he has not seen this video.

"We'll deal with it in court," Greenberg said.

The newly unearthed footage, which lasts 42 minutes and 45 seconds, is clear and explicit.

What is on the video mirrors some of the alleged acts for which Kelly was arrested in a child pornography case in 2002 when he was 35 and then acquitted six years later.

He has been sued by multiple women accusing him of having sex with them when they were underage. Most cases, with the exception of the trial where he was acquitted, have been settled out of court.

And while he is one of the most successful R&B acts in history, there has been a growing movement against him, including the #MuteRKelly campaign to stop his music being played.

In July 2017, BuzzFeed published an explosive article outlining allegations that Kelly was holding a group of adult women against their will as part of what some of their parents said was a "cult."

Joycelyn Savage, one of the young women, denied those claims and asked her parents , via a video shared with TMZ, to stop speaking out about her relationship with Kelly.

In January, the release of a docuseries called "Surviving R. Kelly" on Lifetime television helped boost the public campaign against him.

In that series, women said they were kept in abusive sexual relationships.

Greenberg said the women accusing the singer have financial motivations.

"Everybody's trying to profit off of R. Kelly," he said.</s>R&b star R. Kelly faces 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse. A warrant is out for Kelly’s arrest.

The charges come just one month after the release of a docuseries called Surviving R. Kelly on Lifetime.

The series documented women who said they were kept in abusive sexual relationships.

Kelly is due in court March 8th in Cook County.</s>R. Kelly has been charged with 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse in Illinois' Cook County, E! News has learned.

Documents show that there are four alleged victims, with nine of Kelly's counts involving alleged victims ranging in age from 13 to 16. In the state of Illinois, the charge of criminal sexual abuse is a class 2 felony, with each charge carrying a maximum of three to seven years in prison sentence.

TMZ reported early Friday that two women had testified before a grand jury in Chicago, alleging that R. Kelly had sex with minors, with one of the women reportedly turning over physical evidence. According to the outlet, one of the alleged victims testified that she was underage when she had sex with R. Kelly between the years 2008 to 2010 in the state of Illinois.</s>R&B singer R. Kelly was charged on Friday with multiple criminal counts of sexual abuse of a teenager, Chicago officials said.

Kelly, 52, is now facing 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse, according to the Cook County State's Attorney's Office in Chicago. A judge issued a warrant for the singer's arrest on Friday afternoon.

It is not clear how many victims are part of the criminal case, but prosecutors said the ages ranged from 13 to 16 years old.

Requests for comment to Kelly's Chicago-based lawyer were not returned.

Kelly, whose real name is Robert Kelly, has been criminally accused of sexual misconduct before. He was tried on child pornography charges in 2008. A jury cleared him on all counts.

But allegations of sexual misconduct against the singer gained renewed attention this year with the airing of a Lifetime docuseries "Surviving R. Kelly" in early January.

The six-part show contains interviews with numerous women who accuse Kelly of mental, physical and sexual abuse. Sony Music parted ways with the Grammy-winning artist in the wake of "Surviving."

The singer and his lawyers have consistently denied any wrongdoing in any previous allegations made against him over the years.

This is a breaking story. Check back for updates.</s>
• R. Kelly was charged with 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse in Cook County Friday morning, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.
• Kelly is accused of sexually abusing four underage victims, according to court records seen by Chicago media outlets.
• Earlier this month, attorney Michael Avenatti surfaced and presented a tape to state attorneys that allegedly shows Kelly engaging in sex acts with a girl who says she is 14 years old.
• Kelly’s lawyer has previously denied all allegations against the singer.
• Kelly is reportedly due in court on March 8.

R. Kelly was charged with 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse in Cook County Friday morning, the Chicago Sun-Times reported. Kelly is due in court on March 8, according to court records seen by CBS Chicago.

Kelly is accused of sexually abusing four victims between the ages of 13 and 16, according to the court records, seen by Chicago media outlets including CBS Chicago and the Chicago Sun-Times. The documents reportedly say the alleged crimes took place between 1998 and 2010.

On Thursday, celebrity attorney Michael Avenatti told the Associated Press that he has evidence that Kelly and his “enablers” paid witnesses and others to “rig” the outcome of a 2008 trial when the R&B singer was acquitted on child pornography charges.

“It’s over,” Avenatti wrote on Twitter on Friday. “After 25 years of serial sexual abuse and assault of underage girls, the day of reckoning for R. Kelly has arrived.”

Earlier this month, a jury convened after Avenatti surfaced and presented a tape to Chicago state attorneys that allegedly shows Kelly engaging in sex acts with a girl who says she is 14 years old. CNN has seen and verified the existence of the tape and its alleged content. In the tape, both the girl and Kelly repeatedly acknowledge her age, according to CNN.

Avenatti is representing a man who has worked for Kelly and claims to know the identity of the girl in the video.

Kelly, 52, has faced allegations of sexual misconduct in the past. After Lifetime aired the documentary “Surviving R. Kelly,” which featured stories and interviews from women who claimed to be victims of R. Kelly’s “sex cult,” Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx made a public call for victims to come forward.

According to the Associated Press, on Thursday, two women have come forward, claiming that Kelly picked them out of a crowd at an after-party in Baltimore mid-1990s and allegedly had sex with one woman who was 16 at the time.

In the past, Kelly’s attorney, Steve Greenberg, has denied all the allegations against the singer.

“The allegations aren’t true because he never knowingly had sex with an underage woman, he never forced anyone to do anything, he never held anyone captive, he never abused anyone,” Greenberg told the Associated Press in January.

Michael Avenatti, Steve Greenberg, and the Cook County State Attorney didn’t immediately return INSIDER’s request for comment.

If you are a victim of sexual assault, you can visit RAINN or call its hotline at 1-800-656-4673 to receive confidential support from a trained staff member.</s>Chicago — Illinois prosecutors have filed sexual abuse charges against R&B singer R. Kelly. The 52-year-old Grammy winner faces 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse, Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx announced Friday.

Kelly is accused of abusing four victims, at least three of whom were allegedly underage, in incidents that date back to 1998, according the indictment. The most recent alleged abuse was in 2010. There is no statute of limitations for child sex abuse in Illinois, the station reported.

Nine of the counts specify the victim was between 13 and 16, and one count did not specify any ages, CBS Chicago reported. The charges are class 2 felonies and carry a potential sentence of three to seven years per count, Foxx said.

Foxx did not detail the alleged abuse at the brief Friday press conference.

Judge Dennis Porter signed a no-bail warrant for Kelly's arrest at 9:30 a.m. Friday, the station reported. According to court records, his first court date has been scheduled for March 8. If he is convicted on all 10 counts, a judge could decide that the sentences run one after the other, making it possible that he receives a sentence of up to 70 years behind bars, the Associated Press reported. Probation is another option under the statute, Foxx said.

Kelly is expected to appear in bond court Saturday.

Defense attorney Steve Greenberg told the station he's not aware of the charges. Kelly has for decades faced allegations of sexual misconduct with underage girls, but had denied them. Greenberg has maintained the singer's innocence and said that he never knowingly had sex with underage girls.

"I have a client who hasn't committed any crime, so I don't have a lot of work to do as a criminal defense lawyer," Greenberg told CBS News last week.

Last month, Foxx asked for possible alleged victims of sexual assault or domestic violence by Kelly to come forward after the "deeply, deeply disturbing" allegations outlined in the Lifetime docu-series "Surviving R. Kelly."

"In order to have an investigation ... we have to have victims and witnesses who are willing to come forth with whatever information that they have," Foxx said.

The docu-series, which aired on Lifetime, features 50 interviews, including accuser Jerhonda Pace; the parents of one of Kelly's alleged victims; Kelly's ex-wife, Andrea Kelly; ex-girlfriend Kitti Jones and brothers Carey and Bruce Kelly.

Foxx said she saw some of the docu-series.

"I was sickened," she said. "I was sickened by the allegations. I was sickened as a survivor. I was sickened as a mother. I'm sickened as a prosecutor."

Last week, a law enforcement source told CBS News that prosecutors in Chicago have obtained a nearly 45-minute video that purportedly shows Kelly engaging in sex acts a 14-year-old girl.

Lawyer Michael Avenatti turned the video over to the Cook County state's attorney and told CBS News he got the tape from someone who knows both Kelly and the alleged victim "extremely well." He described it as a "bombshell of epic proportions." CBS News has not viewed any of the footage, but Avenatti said he and Illinois prosecutors are certain Kelly is the man on the tape.

In a tweet Friday, Avenatti said, "After 25 years of serial sexual abuse and assault of underage girls, the day of reckoning for R. Kelly has arrived."

Avenatti, who was approached by an individual seeking representation in April, said he received the tape earlier this month. The tape is believed to be from the late 1990s. He claims R. Kelly's voice can be heard on the recording and that a telltale mole on his back is clearly visible.

"This is deviant conduct … R. Kelly deserves to spend the rest of his life in a penitentiary," Avenatti said. "There's 2 different scenes shot on two separate days on this tape … I was disgusted by what I viewed …This is a disgusting video."

CBS News has confirmed the video was recently turned over to the Cook County state's attorney in Chicago, where Kelly lives.

Kelly was acquitted on child pornography charges in 2008 after disputing he was the man seen in a grainy video having sex with an underage girl. Avenatti said the tape in that case is different from the one he provided. He did not say whether the new tape showed a different alleged victim.

On Thursday, two new Kelly accusers spoke out publicly with their lawyer, Gloria Allred. The women, Latresa Scaff and Rochelle Washington, said Kelly picked them out of a crowd at a Baltimore party in the 1990s when both were underage, asked them back to his hotel and exposed himself. Scaff said she engaged in sexual activity with Kelly, but said she was under the influence of marijuana and alcohol and didn't have the capacity to consent.

Allred said the two women planned to meet with the U.S. attorney's office for the Eastern District of New York, the AP reports. She reportedly didn't say why she had chosen that jurisdiction for alleged crimes in Maryland.</s>CHICAGO – R. Kelly, the R&B star who has been trailed for decades by lurid rumors that made him Public Enemy No. 1 to the #MeToo movement, was charged Friday with 10 counts of aggravated sexual abuse involving four victims, including at least three between the ages of 13 and 17.

Tandra Simonton, spokeswoman for the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, confirmed to the Associated Press that charges had been filed against the 52-year-old Grammy winner, but she declined to give a specific number. Media reports said there were 10 counts.

Some of the alleged abuse went back at least as far as 1998, according to charging documents. An indictment unsealed Friday specifically referred to abuse that took place around Feb. 18, 2003. The indictment provides no detail.

The singer was to appear in court Saturday. A message seeking comment from Kelly’s attorney, Steve Greenberg, was not immediately returned.

Over the years, Kelly, who is best known for hits such as “I Believe I Can Fly,” has consistently denied any sexual misconduct. His arrest sets the stage for another #MeToo-era celebrity trial. Bill Cosby went to prison last year, and former Hollywood studio boss Harvey Weinstein is awaiting trial.

Kelly was charged a week after Michael Avenatti, the attorney whose clients have included porn star Stormy Daniels, said he recently gave Chicago prosecutors new video evidence of the singer having sex with an underage girl. It was not immediately clear if the charges were connected to that video.

In 2008, a jury acquitted Kelly of child pornography charges over a graphic video that prosecutors said showed him having sex with a girl as young as 13. He and the young woman allegedly depicted with him denied they were in the 27-minute video, even though the picture quality was good and witnesses testified it was them, and she did not take the stand. Kelly, whose legal name is Robert Kelly, could have gotten 15 years in prison.

Charging Kelly now with sexual assault for actions that occurred within the same time frame as the allegations from the 2008 trial suggests the accusers are cooperating this time and willing to testify.

Because the alleged victim 10 years ago denied that she was on the video and did not testify, the state’s attorney’s office had little recourse except to charge the less offense under Illinois law, child pornography, which requires a lower standard of evidence.

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.

Legally and professionally, the walls began closing in on Kelly after the release of a BBC documentary about him last year and the multipart Lifetime documentary “Surviving R. Kelly,” which aired last month. Together they detailed allegations he was holding women against their will and running a “sex cult.”

After the latest documentary, Chicago’s top prosecutor, Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx, said she was “sickened” by the allegations and asked potential victims to come forward.

#MeToo activists and a social media movement using the hashtag #MuteRKelly called on streaming services to drop Kelly’s music and promoters not to book any more concerts. And protesters demonstrated outside Kelly’s Chicago studio.

In the indictment, the prosecution addresses the question of the statute of limitations, which is likely to be raised by the defense. It describes how prosecutors can charge Kelly under Illinois law even though the alleged crimes occurred as much as two decades ago.

The indictment says in at least one instance, the abuse of a minor occurred between 1998 and 1999 but that it clearly fell within the 20-year charging window allowed under Illinois law. The 20-year period only begins, it says, after a victim turns 18.

Greenberg said earlier this year that his client was the victim of a TV hit piece and that Kelly “never knowingly had sex with an underage woman, he never forced anyone to do anything, he never held anyone captive, he never abused anyone.”

Avenatti said his office was retained last April by people regarding allegations of sexual assault of minors by Kelly. He said the video surfaced during a 10-month investigation. He told the AP that the person who provided the VHS tape knew both Kelly and the female in the video.

Despite accusations that span decades, the singer and songwriter who rose from poverty on Chicago’s South Side has retained a sizable following. He has written numerous hits for himself and other artists, including Celine Dion, Michael Jackson and Lady Gaga. 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’.”

Months after those successes, the then-27-year-old Kelly faced allegations he married 15-year-old Aaliyah, the R&B star who later died in a plane crash in the Bahamas. Kelly was the lead songwriter and producer of Aaliyah’s 1994 debut album.

Kelly and Aaliyah never confirmed the marriage, though Vibe magazine published a copy of the purported marriage license. Court documents later obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times showed Aaliyah admitted lying about her age on the license.

Jim DeRogatis, a longtime music critic for the Chicago Sun-Times, played a key role in drawing the attention of law enforcement to Kelly. In 2002, he received the sex tape in the mail that was central to Kelly’s 2008 trial. He turned it over to prosecutors. In 2017, DeRogatis wrote a story for BuzzFeed about the allegations Kelly was holding women against their will in Georgia.</s>R. Kelly was charged Friday with 10 counts of aggravated sexual abuse, after decades of lurid rumors and allegations that the R&B star was sexually abusing women and underage girls.

Tandra Simonton, spokeswoman for the Cook County State's Attorney's Office, confirmed to The Associated Press the charges had been filed against the 52-year-old Grammy winner but declined to say the specific number. Media reports said there were 10 counts, all involving underage victims.

A Chicago judge has issued a no-bail arrest warrant for the singer. No-bail arrest warrants don't necessarily mean the defendant won't eventually be offered bail once appearing in court to answer the charges.

The Chicago Sun-Times reported that the charges involve four victims, at least three of them minors, records showed. The records also showed the allegations spanned from 1998 to 2010.

Over the years, he has consistently denied any sexual misconduct.

Kelly, whose legal name is Robert Kelly, is one of the top-selling recording artists of all time, with hits such as "I Believe I Can Fly," and his arrest sets the stage for another #MeToo-era celebrity trial. Bill Cosby went to prison last year, and former Hollywood studio boss Harvey Weinstein is awaiting trial.

Kelly was charged a day after Michael Avenatti, the attorney whose clients have included porn star Stormy Daniels, said he recently gave Chicago prosecutors new video evidence of the singer having sex with an underage girl. It was not immediately clear if the charges were connected to that video.

In 2008, a jury acquitted Kelly of child pornography charges over a graphic video that prosecutors said showed him having sex with a girl as young as 13. He and the young woman allegedly depicted with him denied they were in the 27-minute video, even though the picture quality was good and witnesses testified it was them, and she did not take the stand. Kelly could have gotten 15 years in prison.

Legally and professionally, the walls began closing in on Kelly more recently after the release of a BBC documentary about him last year and, last month, the multipart Lifetime documentary "Surviving R. Kelly." Together they detailed allegations he was holding women against their will and running a "sex cult."

After the latest documentary, Chicago's top prosecutor, Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx, said she was "sickened" by the allegations and asked potential victims to come forward.

#MeToo activists and a social media movement using the hashtag #MuteRKelly called on streaming services to drop Kelly's music and promoters not to book any more concerts. And protesters demonstrated outside Kelly's Chicago studio.

Kelly's attorney, Steve Greenberg, said earlier this year that his client was the victim of a TV hit piece and that Kelly "never knowingly had sex with an underage woman, he never forced anyone to do anything, he never held anyone captive, he never abused anyone."

Avenatti said his office was retained last April by people regarding allegations of sexual assault of minors by Kelly. He said the video surfaced during a 10-month investigation. He told the Associated Press that the person who provided the VHS tape knew both Kelly and the female in the video.

Despite accusations that span decades, the singer and songwriter who rose from poverty on Chicago's South Side has retained a sizable following. He has written numerous hits for himself and other artists, including Celine Dion, Michael Jackson and Lady Gaga. 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'."

Months after those successes, the then-27-year-old Kelly faced allegations he married 15-year-old Aaliyah, the R&B star who later died in a plane crash in the Bahamas. Kelly was the lead songwriter and producer of Aaliyah's 1994 debut album.

Kelly and Aaliyah never confirmed the marriage, though Vibe magazine published a copy of the purported marriage license. Court documents later obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times showed Aaliyah admitted lying about her age on the license.

Jim DeRogatis, a longtime music critic for the Chicago Sun-Times, played a key role in drawing the attention of law enforcement to Kelly. In 2002, he received the sex tape in the mail that was central to Kelly's 2008 trial. He turned it over to prosecutors. In 2017, DeRogatis wrote a story for BuzzFeed about the allegations Kelly was holding women against their will in Georgia.</s>R. Kelly has been indicted on 10 counts of criminal sexual abuse. Picture: AP

R. Kelly has been indicted on 10 counts of criminal sexual abuse. Picture: AP

SINGER R. Kelly has been charged with criminal sex abuse, a new report says.

The R & B star has been hit with 10 counts, according to the Chicago Sun Times, with Chicago police seeking an arrest warrant for the Ignition singer.

TMZ reported that a grand jury convened a week ago to investigate a sex tape that allegedly showed Kelly assaulting a 14-year-old girl.

The tape was turned over to authorities by lawyer Michael Avenatti.

Kelly has been accused of sexual abuse by many women for over two decades, but has denied all allegations of sexual misconduct in the past.

Two women testified for the grand jury over the past week, including one who provided physical evidence, the celebrity gossip site reported.

They were among as many as a dozen accusers to testify, the site said.

Sources told the Sun-Times that Cook County prosecutors were appearing before a judge on Friday afternoon (Saturday AM AEST) to sign off on an arrest warrant for Kelly.

The charges come weeks after the Lifetime documentary series Surviving R. Kelly showcased old sexual misconduct accusations against the 52-year-old singer.

The documentary, which aired in the US in January, gets its Australian premiere on Foxtel's Crime + Investigation Network this Friday from 9.30pm.

Two episodes air on Friday, then the remaining four episodes over the next two Friday nights.

So explosive is the program that when it aired in the US (over three nights in a row to over 25 million viewers), it finally led to him being axed from his record label Sony.

It comes a day after two more women came forward with allegations of sexual misconduct and rape against the already-embattled singer.

Latresa Scaff and Rochelle Washington came forward with their lawyer, Gloria Allred, who is representing several other clients who claim R. Kelly, whose full name is Robert Kelly, 52, mistreated them following the bombshell documentary series.

In it, the singer was accused of various sexual misconduct allegations including the rape of underage girls.

However, Scaff and Washington claim they met with Kelly in 1996 at the afterparty of his concert with L.L. Cool J in Baltimore, according to Page Six.

"When I first met R. Kelly that night, I was very happy and excited because I was young and starstruck," Scaff reportedly said at a press conference in New York.

"However, now that I am an adult, I feel hurt by what he did to me when I was only 16 years old and under the influence of alcohol and marijuana, which had been provided to me at his afterparty."

The duo alleges Kelly singled them out at the party when they were teens and allegedly had members of his entourage supply them with alcohol and marijuana.

They were invited back to his hotel suite where they claim Kelly exposed himself to them and asked for a threesome in exchange for appearing in one of his future videos.

Washington alleges that she denied his advances and retreated to the bathroom. Meanwhile, Scaff claims Kelly then allegedly asked for oral sex from her and then had sex with her despite her being drunk, high and "did not have the capacity to consent."

Following the premiere of Surviving R. Kelly the singer has received immediate criticism and has seen radio stations and business partners drop him from their working relationship as he battles a myriad of accusations and legal cases.

In 2002, Kelly was indicted on 21 counts of child pornography, also over a video, which allegedly showed him engaged in sexual acts with a 13-year-old girl. However, he was acquitted on all counts.

Kelly's first court date is scheduled for March 8.

With the New York Post, Fox News
American musician R. Kelly is indicted for raping a minor. A judge in Cook County, Illinois, issues an arrest warrant for Kelly in regard to 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse.