The singer was previously charged in February with 10 counts
of felony aggravated sexual abuse, allegations which he has denied.
Musician R. Kelly arrives at the Daley Center for a hearing
in his child support case on May 8, 2019, in Chicago.Matt Marton / AP file
May 30, 2019, 8:31 PM GMT / Updated May 30, 2019, 9:09 PM
GMT
By Minyvonne Burke and Diana Dasrath
Singer R. Kelly was charged Thursday with 11 new counts of
sexual assault and sex abuse, court documents show.
Four of the charges are aggravated criminal sexual assault,
two are criminal sexual assault by force, three are aggravated criminal sexual
abuse of a victim between 13 and 16 years old and two are aggravated criminal
sexual abuse.
The aggravated criminal sexual assault chargesare Class X
felonies, which according to NBC Chicago is the most serious felony in Illinois
and carries a mandatory minimum prison sentence of six to 30 years.
"These 'new' charges are not really new — they are the
same conduct, just charged differently. Same alleged victim, same time frame,
same facts," the singer's attorney, Steven Greenberg, said. "And we
still expect the same results."
"With the latest charges brought against Robert Kelly,
he still maintains his innocence and denies all accusations brought against
him," said Darrell Johnson, a representative for Kelly, adding the singer
still maintains he is innocent. "He looks forward to a swift and speedy
trial."
Kelly, 52, whose real name is Robert Sylvester Kelly, was
charged in February with 10 counts of felony aggravated sexual abuse. He has
denied all the accusations against him.
"I didn't do this stuff," he told CBS News' Gayle
King in an emotional interview in March. "This is not me. I'm fighting for
my f---ing life."
The singer pleaded not guilty to the charges in February
after posting bond and being released from the Cook County Jail.
According to an unsealed indictment released at the time he
was first charged, four people alleged that they were victimized by Kelly. They
were only identified in court documents by their initials.
Allegations of sexual misconduct against Kelly gained
renewed interest following the January release of the six-part Lifetime
docuseries "Surviving R. Kelly," which detailed a number of women's
claims that they were sexually, physically nnd mentally abused by him. He
denied all those accusations.
Fallout from the series was swift with Sony Music announcing
that it was parting ways with the Grammy-winning singer.
Prosecutors said the alleged sex acts in the original
charges occurred between May 1998 and January 2010. Authorities said three of
the victims were under the age of 17.
Kelly, who was previously charged with child pornography and
was eventually cleared by a jury in 2008 on all counts, told King that the
person the women described in the Lifetime series was "Lucifer."
"I'm not Lucifer. I'm a man. I make mistakes, but I'm
not a devil, and by no means am I a monster," he said.
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