R. Kelly has been charged with 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse by the Cook County State's Attorney.
Prosecutors hit the disgraced R&B singer with 10 counts on Friday (February 22) and, as per TMZ, nine of them involve alleged victims ranging in age from 13 to 16-years-old. One of them is the subject of four different counts. The criminal sexual abuse charge is a class 2 felony in Illinois, so each charge carries a maximum sentence of three to seven years in prison. These charges stem from attorney Michael Avenatti, who recently turned in a video tape of the star having sex with a minor to the Cook County state’s attorney's office. Two women previously testified for the grand jury, including one who provided even more physical evidence. "It’s over," Avenatti wrote via Twitter after the announcement broke. "After 25 years of serial sexual abuse and assault of underage girls, the day of reckoning for R Kelly has arrived."
Sources told the Chicago Sun-Times that Cook County prosecutors appeared before a judge Friday afternoon to sign off on an arrest warrant. Meanwhile, additional insiders close to Kelly told TMZ that he plans on voluntarily turning himself into authorities tonight. His first court date is listed as March 8, according to records.
Gerald Griggs, an Atlanta lawyer who represents the parents of a woman they believe is being held against her will in his "sex cult," has spoke out on the news. "This is just the beginning of the charges," Griggs told USA TODAY. "Hopefully, with the swift arrest of Kelly, our clients will be able to make unfettered contact with (their daughter) and get her home and the counseling and the help she needs."
Photo: Getty Images