Singer Robert Kelly, known as R. Kelly, appears in a booking photo provided by the Chicago Police Department in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., on February 23, 2019. Courtesy Chicago Police Department/Handout via REUTERS
February 23, 2019
By Suzannah Gonzales
CHICAGO (Reuters) – Grammy-winning R&B singer R. Kelly, who for years has faced allegations that he abused women and underage girls, appeared in court in Chicago on Saturday to face charges that he sexually assaulted four people, including three teenagers.
Cook County Judge John Lyke set bail at $1 million for Kelly after calling the allegations “disturbing” during a hearing on Saturday afternoon where Kelly appeared in a black hooded sweatshirt and listened, head down, as prosecutors outlined the case against him.
The 52-year-old, whose real name is Robert Kelly, was charged with a 10-count indictment on Friday, nearly two months after the Lifetime television network aired a six-hour documentary series “Surviving R. Kelly” in which multiple women accused him of sexual misconduct and abuse.
The judge also ordered Kelly not to have contact with anyone under the age of 18.
At a brief news conference on Friday, the Cook County state’s attorney, Kimberly Foxx, said three of the four victims were under age 17 at the time of the abuse, which dated back as far as 1998. She did not comment on the details of the charges, which each carry a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
His lawyer Steven Greenberg told reporters on Friday night that prosecutors had “rushed to judgment” due to public pressure.
“He’s an innocent man,” Greenberg said.
(Reporting by Suzannah Gonzales in Chicago; Writing by Joseph Ax; editing by Grant McCool)
