Updated 31st May 2019
R. Kelly charged with 11 new counts of sexual assault and abuse (cbsnews.com).
Stem from the sexual abuse of Jerhonda Pace, at the time a minor, that allegedly took place in 2010 as she told in the docuseries.
The charges include four counts of aggravated criminal sex assault, three counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse of a victim between the ages of 13 and 16, two counts of criminal sex assault by force and two counts of aggravated criminal sex abuse, according to court records.
Updated 12th July 2019
And after five months being out on bail:
R. Kelly arrested on federal sex crime charges (nbcnewyork.com).
A 13-count indictment was handed down earlier Thursday in federal court for the Northern District of Illinois and includes charges of child pornography, enticement of a minor and obstruction of justice, U.S. attorney spokesman Joseph Fitzpatrick told The Associated Press. The federal indictments were both filed in Chicago and Brooklyn, according to a senior law enforcement official, and that a court appearance in Chicago could come later Friday.
With federal prosecutors stating in a detention memo that Kelly should be granted no bail pending trial and with further details expected to be announced Friday, and presumably delighting Kelly’s defense lawyer Steve Greenberg who declared he “loves a challenge”.
R. Kelly is facing 'a minimum of 15 years’ in prison on new charges, legal expert says (variety.com).
“Earlier, he was looking at possession of child pornography under state jurisdiction,” [attorney Priya Sopori] explains. “Now, he’s looking at production of child pornography, which is a federal crime in federal court, and there’s a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison for that crime. So if he’s found guilty of production of child pornography, no judge will have discretion to send him to prison for fewer than 15 years—remember, in federal court, defendants end up serving a very large percentage of their time because there is no early-parole system.”
Although acquitted for the same charge in 2008 the new charges being federal and “are considerably more serious than the original state court charges”.
Updated 2nd August 2019
And although having had to surrender his passport when given bail back in February, it seems this time none are prepared to risk a disappearing act after seemingly going missing en route to his arraignment hearing (bossip.com):
R. Kelly denied bail in sex crime case in New York (bbc.co.uk).
The singer, 52, was denied bail on the grounds that he was a flight risk. He will be kept in custody pending trial.
With the judge also citing “a strong possibility of witness tampering” (nytimes.com) as much as fears he’d do a bunk for refusing bail, with Kelly’s lawyer entered a plea of not guilty plea on his client’s behalf.
Updated 5th August 2019
R Kelly charged with prostitution and solicitation involving girl under 18 (theguardian.com).
Minnesota authorities charged the singer R Kelly on Monday with two counts of prostitution and solicitation involving a girl under 18 in 2001.
Allegedly soliciting the girl after meeting her at a concert in Minneapolis when rather than performing he was doing promotional work and giving her his phone number when she was trying to get an autograph and, inviting her back to his hotel when she rang, offering her money to take off her cloths and dance with him naked.
Updated 15th August 2019
R. Kelly meets with famed lawyer Tom Mesereau … who won Michael Jackson molestation case (tmz.com).
In case you don’t know … Mesereau has worked miracles in the courtroom. He got Michael Jackson acquitted of child molestation in 2005, and got Robert Blake acquitted of murdering his wife, also back in 2005.
We’re told Mesereau has not officially signed on, but that’s the plan. If he does, he will be the lead attorney and possibly the sole attorney representing Kelly.
It indeed seemingly being more of a challenge than Kelly’s current defense lawyer Steve Greenberg can continue to love.
Updated 6th December 2019
And, after his desire to be moved from solitary to gen pop was granted (tmz.com, Sept. 2019) but then filling new legal docs stating he is not receiving adequate medical treatment for anxiety and an untreated hernia (thesun.co.uk, Oct. 2019) seemingly after only one of his two “girlfriends” was granted visitation, another charge added to the ever-growing list:
R. Kelly married Aaliyah when she was 15. now he’s being charged with a federal crime. (buzzfeednews.com).
With a granf jury now charging him with bribing an Illinois official twenty-five years after he married the “Princess of R&B” who first came to fame at the age of 10 appearing on the Star Search talent show and who died in a plane crash in the Bahamas in 2001.
The two infamously married a day after Kelly allegedly bribed the official for the fake ID, on Aug. 31, 1994, according to an Illinois marriage license first published by Vibe magazine.
The marriage license listing the at the time 15-year-old’s age as 18, a minimum age requirement by the state’s to marry with without parental consent, with representatives of her uncle and then-manager separating the pair as they landed for their honeymoon in Florida and with the family annulling the union two months later.