R. Kelly was arrested in Chicago Thursday night (July 11) on federal sex trafficking charges, NBC 4 New York and The Chicago Sun-Times report. According to NBC, Kelly was arrested by Homeland Security Investigation agents and NYPD detectives, and it is expected that he will be brought to New York following the arrest.
The Sun-Times writes that according to a spokesman for the U.S. attorney’s office, Kelly faces a 13-count indictment, as well as charges related to child pornography and obstruction of justice.
According to NBC, further details regarding Kelly’s case will be announced Friday (July 12).
On Thursday night, Chicago Tribune reporter Jason Meisner wrote in a tweet: “embattled R&B star #RKelly, 52, was arrested in Chicago tonight on a 13-count federal indictment returned this afternoon in Chicago that includes charges of child pornography and obstruction of justice, a spokesman for U.S. Atty. John Lausch says.” Find his post below.
In 2019 alone, R. Kelly has been charged with multiple counts of sexual abuse. In February, he was hit with 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse in Cook County, Illinois. In May, Kelly was charged with an additional 11 counts of sexual assault and abuse. Four of the 11 charges were Class X felonies.
Kelly has a long history of alleged sexual abuse. He was previously charged with making child pornography in 2002, but was acquitted on all charges in 2008. Since his acquittal, Kelly has been accused of everything from holding women against their will in a sex cult, to physical and psychological abuse, to sexual abuse of minors.
Pitchfork has reached out to R. Kelly’s legal representation for comment.
https://pitchfork.com/news/r-kelly-arrested-on-federal-sex-crime-charges
