R. Kelly has been charged with two new sex crimes by prosecutors in Minnesota.
The disgraced I Believe I Can Fly singer is already facing serious charges in New York and his native Illinois, and now he has more sex crime felonies piling up.
Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman announced on Monday that R. Kelly, real name Robert Sylvester Kelly, has been charged with two felony counts of prostitution with a person under 18.
Prosecutors claim the new charges stem from an alleged incident that took place in July 2001, when he is accused of paying a 17-year-old girl $200 (£165) to strip and engage in sexual acts with him in his Minneapolis hotel room.
Attorney Gloria Allred, representing the Minnesota victim, who has not been publicly identified, said in a statement, “I commend my client in Minneapolis for the courage she displayed in speaking to law enforcement... As this new case demonstrates, it is not too late for there to be justice for even more victims of R. Kelly.”
Kelly's attorney Steve Greenberg blasted the new charges in a phone interview with the Star Tribune on Monday.
“The underlying facts, even if you take them at face value, don’t cry out for prosecution,” Greenberg said, adding that Freeman is “just in it, just like many of these women, for publicity. It’s just a total perversion of the entire system and a waste of time.”
R. Kelly is currently in custody in New York after pleading not guilty to five federal criminal charges that include racketeering and kidnapping.
He is also facing a 13-count indictment in Illinois for charges that include child pornography, enticement of a minor and obstruction of justice.
