On Monday, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman said Kelly has been accused of soliciting a girl who was 17 at the time.
According to thecriminal complaint, the girl, who has not been named, first met Kelly on July 11, 2001, when she approached the singer for his autograph outside of a Minneapolis venue. In addition to his signature, the singer (born Robert Kelly) allegedly also included a phone number.
After calling the number, the girl was invited to a hotel, where she met with the star and was offered “$200 to dance,” according to the complaint. Kelly then “helped her remove her clothing” and “took off his clothes as well.”
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During Monday’s press conference, Freeman said “there was some talk” of the girl traveling to Chicago to see the singer, but she was not able to contact Kelly using the phone number he had provided her with, according to theStar Tribune.
“It is despicable that Mr. Kelly used his fame in order to prey on underage girls,” Freeman said in a news release. “While there are more numerous charges in the Illinois and federal cases, we wanted to make sure that our victim here in Minneapolis also receives a measure of justice. We fully expect that at some future date, Mr. Kelly will have to account for his actions in Hennepin County.”
Kelly, who is currently in custody in New York — where hepled not guiltyto sex trafficking charges last week — has not publicly responded to the new charges, although his attorney Steve Greenberg has spoken out against them online.
“Re: New charges @RKelly give me a break. This is beyond absurd,” Greenberg tweeted on Monday.
Kelly pleaded not guilty on Friday to charges of racketeering and violating federal laws prohibiting sex trafficking.
The court date came less than a month after the singer was arrested on federal charges including child pornography, racketeering and obstruction of justice — per two indictments out of Chicago and New York City.
The Chicago indictment also accused Kelly of using physical abuse, violence and blackmail to “prevent victims from providing evidence to law enforcement.”
In February, he was also hit with 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse against four alleged victims, three of which were referred to as under the age of 17. Hepleaded not guiltyto all of the charges.
Kelly, who was also the subject of the bombshell documentarySurviving R. Kellyearlier this year, has maintained his innocence throughout his legal troubles.
source: people.com
