R. Kelly’s predatory behavior has caught up to him, again. According to reports, the R&B singer has been indicted and charged with ten counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse by the Cook County State’s Attorney.
According to TMZ, a grand jury had convened about a week ago to investigate the alleged sex tape that Michael Avenatti handed over to authorities. Two women reportedly testified for the grand jury and provided evidence. There’s said to be more witnesses.
According to CNN, the tape is extremely disturbing. They see a girl on the tape and a man who appears to be R. Kelly, who was completely nude, and constantly changed the camera angles so he can see the entire sex acts that were happening. There were multiple sex acts on the tape. The girl on tape referred to her 14-year-old genitalia at least six times. Kelly also mentioned her young genitalia several times.
Avenatti says he uncovered the VHS tape during a months-long investigation into allegations his clients made about Kelly having sex with minors. It’s still unclear when the tape was shot, but Avenatti said he was sure it fell within the statute of limitations.
The first public allegations against R. Kelly originated in 2000 after former music critic Jim DeRogatis wrote the Chicago Sun-Times report: “R. Kelly Accused of Sex with Teenage Girls.” The article detailed how Kelly had utilized his fame into having sex with girls as young as 15. The article reveals how Kelly was sued for $10 million by aspiring singer Tiffany “Tia” Hawkins, who began having a sexual relationship with Kelly in 1991 when she was 15 and he was 24. Kelly denied the allegations after the publication.
In 2002, Kelly was indicted on 21 counts of making child pornography after a video surfaced and allegedly showed him engaging in sexual acts with a 14-year-old. In 2008, Kelly was acquitted after both he and the young girl denied that it was them in the video. Jurors claimed they were certain that Kelly was the man on the tape, but uncertainty around the identity of the girl and her age made them doubt whether the video counted as child pornography.
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