Grammy-winning singer R Kelly has been charged on Thursday with 11 additional felony counts of sexual assault and abuse that could, if he is convicted, send the R & B singer to prison for 30 years, the Chicago Sun Times reported.
Kelly was indicted by a Cook County grand jury on four counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault, two counts of criminal sexual assault by force and two counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse, documents posted on the newspaper’s website showed.
He was also indicted on three counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse against a victim between the ages of 13 to 16, according to the documents. The allegations centre on someone identified only as J.P. in January 2010, with no other details provided.
Kelly’s attorney, Steve Greenberg, was not available for comment. Kelly has denied abuse allegations for decades. In 2008, the singer was tried on child pornography charges and found not guilty.
Kelly (52) pleaded not guilty in February to charges that he sexually assaulted three teenage girls and a fourth woman. The charges were brought after seven women, including his ex-wife, appeared on a Lifetime television documentary and accused him of emotional and sexual abuse.
He spent a weekend in jail on the sex charges before being released on $100,000 bail on February 25th.
These additional charges carry a sentence of 30 years if he is convicted, the Sun Times reported. – Reuters