Two sets of federal indictments against R. Kelly were unsealed on Friday in two different states. A filing in the Eastern District of New York accuses the embattled singer of racketeering, sexually exploiting five young women and girls, kidnapping, and coercion or enticement to engage in sex. Federal investigators allege that Kelly, his managers, and bodyguards found women and girls at his concerts and arranged for them to travel to meet him in other cities. In a separate indictment filed in Chicago, Kelly faces 13 charges related to child pornography, enticement of a minor to engage in sex, and obstruction of justice.
Kelly was arrested Thursday night in Chicago on federal sex trafficking charges while walking his dog outside his residence in Trump Tower. outlined in the aforementioned indictment which accuses the singer of running a criminal enterprise designed “to promote R. Kelly’s music and the R. Kelly brand and to recruit women and girls to engage in illegal sexual activity with Kelly.” In addition to the 18 new federal charges, Kelly was already charged in Cook County, Illinois in February on 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse involving four women, three of which are alleged to have been underage at the time. Kelly has pleaded not guilty to charges filed in Cook County.
The New York indictment alleges that the 52-year-old singer sexually exploited the girls and young women beginning in 1999 and continuing up to the present day. He is also accused of requiring his victims to perform forced labor and outlines now familiar accusations of Kelly demanding that his victims call him “daddy” and to ask permission before eating, using the bathroom, or leaving their rooms. The new Chicago indictment accuses Kelly of crimes related to child pornography—specifically that he sought out underage girls with the intent of filming his sexual encounters with them—obstruction of justice, and paying off or intimidating witnesses to prevent them from testifying against him.
Kelly has previously denied any wrong doing in regards to the previous set of state charges and the rumors of inappropriate behavior with underage girls that have followed him through the course of his career. The singer’s rep Darrell Johnson announced that he will hold a press conference to address the charges Friday morning.
Read our complete timeline on the life and crimes of R. Kelly.
