Photo Credit: R Kelly/Instagram
While still in jail in New York for charges that he sexually sexually abused women in girls who attended in concerts there, R Kelly just received another set of charges for sex crimes he’s alleged to have committed in Minnesota. He’s currently being charged with two counts of engaging with prostitution with a minor and one count of soliciting a minor for sexual purposes. The event was alleged to have happened in July of 2001 where a 17 year old girl asked for his autograph which he gave along with his phone number. She later went to his hotel room where she was given $200 to take her clothes off where they both danced together naked.
Kelly’s attorney Steve Greenberg didn’t appear to agree with this tweeting “Give me a break. This is beyond absurd,” but Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman is confident in the charges that stemmed from a Chicago tip line saying “We felt we had more than enough to charge based on her testimony and corroboration from her brother. I don’t like buying sex from minors, and I don’t think most other people do either.”
The attorney for the victim who also represents a number of Kelly’s accusers, Gloria Allred commended the alleged victim “for the courage she displayed in speaking to law enforcement.” She also said in a statement, “As this new case demonstrates, it is not too late for there to be justice for even more victims of R. Kelly.” Allred also made it clear that the woman in question was not a prostitute but “a child victim of Mr. Kelly.”
“My understanding from law enforcement in that state, however, is that the only available statute for which Mr. Kelly can be charged is the prostitution statute,” Allred said, adding that she hoped state legislators can change Minnesota law to “more properly reflect crimes that are committed against children.”
Kelly’s attorney, Greenberg responded to a request for comment by NBC News stating, “Frankly, I’m not sure I could say anything without swearing.” He called the charges “an abuse of process, prosecutorial discretion and a perversion of the statute of limitations.”
This adds to the charges Kelly is already facing in New York, Chicago and another Michigan that has been under investigation. This involves a girl that is said to have been 13 in 2001 when in sexually assaulted by Kelly. Detroit Police Chief James Craig said Detroit police received a tip from Chicago police on the matter and Allred is also representing this woman. She told USA Today that her client has already been interviewed by police and was willing to testify about her allegations.
For those wondering how Kelly is taking it all, this process is obviously going to take some time and he’s apparently not willing to have his work inconvenienced by something as menial as jail. He apparently wants a judge to grant him permission to have a computer in jail so he could work on his next album. Now that might sound silly to some but a number of prisons do this. The Lake County Jail in Lake County, Illinois gives all inmates free tablets. They just don’t have internet, social media or camera access. Given the software that would be required for him to make music, the request has been seen as a far stretch. He’s also been in solitary confinement for fear of being attacked because, well, we know how people behind bars feel about those who commit sex crimes with minors. Jeffrey Epstein was beat up almost as soon as he went behind bars, so that’s smart of him. Either way, we’ll be reporting on this as the case advances.
