A judge ordered R. Kelly’s held on $1 million bond on Saturday during the R&B singer’s first court appearance since he was accused of sexually abusing four women — three between the ages of 13 and 17, as prosecutors offered troubling new details in the case.
Assistant State’s Attorney Jennifer Gonzalez said Kelly, 52, met one of his teen victims during his trial on child porn charges in 2008, after she sought his autograph.
Kelly, who was acquitted on the child porn charges, repeatedly had sex with the teen between 2009 and 2010, she said in Cook County court.
Kelly met another victim at her 16th birthday party, told her to take a taxi to his recording studio, where he had sex with her, she said.
Another victim is a 14-year-old girl is seen on a videotape engaging in sex acts with with singer some time between 1998 and 2001, the prosecutor said.
The fourth victim is Kelly’s 24-year-old hairdresser, who said Kelly tried to force her to have oral sex with her in 2003, and then ejaculated on her shirt, Gonzalez said. DNA testing linked Kelly to the incident, she added.
The singer, whose real name is Robert Kelly, was booked Friday on 10 counts of aggravated sexual abuse involving four female victims. The alleged abuse dated back as far as 1998, and spanned over a decade, Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx said.
Cook County Judge John Fitzgerald Lyke Jr. called the allegations against the three time Grammy-winner “disturbing,” and said the bond amount equals $250,000 for each of the four people Kelly is accused of abusing.
As Lyke Jr. spoke, Kelly, wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, stared at the floor and listened. Earlier in the week, the same judge set Jussie Smollett’s bond at $100,000 after the “Empire” actor was charged with disorderly conduct for allegedly filing a false report.
Kelly was ordered not to have contact with anyone under the age of 18, and to surrender his passport.
Kelly has to pay 10 percent, or $100,000 to bond out.
The singer’s lawyer, Steve Greenberg, has said the women are “lying,” and told the judge Saturday that Kelly was not at risk to skip town.
“Contrary to the song, he doesn’t like to fly,” he quipped to the judge, alluding to one of his client’s hits, “I Believe I Can Fly.”
“[Kelly] did not force anyone to have sex. He’s a rock star. He doesn’t have to have non-consensual sex,” he told reporters after the hearing.
Michael Avenatti, who represented porn star Stormy Daniels in her tossed defamation case against President Trump, said he represents two of the victims, and turned over the video tape in question to authorities.
Kelly is due back in court Monday when he’ll learn which judge has been assigned his case. His arraignment is scheduled for March 8.
The bond hearing came as critics intensified their calls for streaming services to yank Kelly’s music and for artists who worked with him to follow suit.
“What more evidence do streaming services, radio stations and music venues need before they remove R. Kelly from their platforms and stop booking him at shows?” said Rebecca Gerber, senior director of engagement at Care2, an advocacy organization, USA Today reported.
Kelly, who had hits with “I Believe I Can Fly,” “Your Body’s Callin,” and “Bump N’ Grind” grew up in a housing project in the Windy City.
In his autobiography, he was he was the victim of sexual abuse beginning at age 8.
With Post Wires