R. Kelly has been charged with 11 new counts of sexual assault by Cook County prosecutors, the Chicago Sun-Times and Chicago Tribune report, adding to the growing list of legal troubles facing the singer. It is not clear if the new counts are in addition to the existing charges the singer is facing.
The charges reportedly stem from a January 2010 incident involving one victim and include four counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault, two counts of criminal sexual assault by force, two counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse, and three counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse against a victim between the ages of 13 to 16.
The outlet reports that the new felony counts come with a possible sentence of up to 30 years in prison and that Kelly is due in court June 6.
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“We’ll see what the charges are, and we’ll proceed accordingly,” his attorney Steve Greenberg told the Sun-Times. “I know this much, it’s old. They’re allegations from years ago.”
Greenberg elaborated on Twitter, writing: “#RKelly was NOT charged with a new case. He was recharged in an existing case, same alleged victim and time (a decade ago) It changes nothing. These are the same conduct, just charged differently, same alleged victim, same time frame, same facts. We expect the same results.”
The new counts come three months after the 52-year-old singer was hit with 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse against four alleged victims, three of which were under the age of 17.
For over two decades, the R&B singer has faced allegations of sexually abusing minors. Rumours of sexual misconduct began in 1994, with a secret marriage to a teenager. Lawsuits followed and then an indictment and high-profile court case in which he was acquitted after years of delay. Through it all, the now 51-year-old Kelly continued to perform, release albums and attend prestigious music events.
But, a movement has begun against the entertainer with the release of a new documentary series, Surviving R Kelly. The six-part series, which premiered on Jan. 3, was executive produced by Dream Hampton, a writer and filmmaker from Detroit. It features interviews with several of Kelly’s accusers, his two brothers, an ex-wife and others, including John Legend and Tarana Burke.
