R. Kelly Has Been Arrested Over 13 Additional Sex Trafficking Charges
This joins previous charges laid out in February and May.
R. Kelly has been arrested in Chicago over federal sex trafficking charges.
Warning: this article discusses sexual and child abuse.
Kelly was arrested by Homeland Security and NYPD detectives. As per the Chicago Sun Times, Kelly faces a 13-count sex crime indictment, as well as charges surrounding child pornography and obstruction of justice. Further details will be announced later today.
Since the ’90s, Kelly has been accused multiple times of pedophilia and, in recent years, has been accused of running a ‘sex cult’ where he held multiple women, potentially against their will, at his homes in Atlanta and Chicago. Kelly denies all allegations, and in a televised interview in March, characterised them as a character assassination, yelling at interviewer Gayle King he was being “buried alive”.
In January, an explosive six-part documentary series Surviving R. Kelly aired in the US detailing the many allegations of sexual assault and pedophilia levelled against the singer — you can read our detailed recap here. Afterwards, several artists including Lady Gaga apologised for their previous collaborations with Kelly, with Gaga and Phoenix removing them from streaming services.
In February, he was charged with 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse, and in May, was charged with 11 additional charges. His label RCA has frozen their relationship to Kelly while investigations continue.
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