LOS ANGELES, CA - JUNE 30: R. Kelly performs onstage during R. Kelly, New Edition and The Jacksons at the 2013 BET Experience at Staples Center on June 30, 2013 in Los Angeles, California. (Image: Getty)
R. Kelly was arrested for federal sex trafficking charges on Thursday night.
He was arrested around 7 p.m. local time in Chicago, according to U.S. attorney spokesman Joseph Fitzpatrick. Kelly’s attorney, Steve Greenberg, confirmed the arrest early Friday morning.
“Robert Kelly was arrested by federal agents last night while walking his dog,” he said. “The charges arose from alleged conduct in the Northern District of Illinois as well as the Eastern District of New York. The conduct alleged appears to be largely the same as the conduct previously alleged against Mr.Kelly in his current State indictment and his former State charges that he was acquitted of. Most, if not all of the conduct alleged was decades old.”
The singer’s arrest includes a new thirteen-count indictment, some charges of which are related to child pornography and obstruction of justice. There is also a separate five-count indictment that charges him with racketeering.
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Kelly’s rep, Darell Johnson, told NBC News that the singer maintains his innocence and is “looking forward to his day in court.”
It has also been reported that his former manager Derrel McDavid and employee Milton Brown were also indicted on allegations that they helped Kelly pay to recover child-pornography tapes and pressure witnesses in Kelly’s 2008 trial.
Kelly has been accused with a number of sexual abuse allegations for nearly two decades, with some accusations even dating back to the late 1990s.
He was recently charged with 10 counts of aggravated sexual abuse in February and 11 more counts of sexual assault and sexual abuse in May.
Four counts charged him with aggravated criminal assault – a Class X felony, which carries six to 30 years in prison if the accused is convicted. Three of the new counts also accused the singer of sexually abusing a victim between the ages of 13 and 16 in 2010.
Kelly is expected to be brought to New York for trial and a bail hearing will be held early next week, according to Greenberg.
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