R Kelly arrested on sex trafficking charges

July 13, 2019 00:21

R Kelly is facing two sets of federal sex abuse charges, one from New York prosecutors and another from prosecutors in his home town of Chicago, after he was arrested on Thursday night while out walking his dog.

The 18-page New York indictment charges Kelly with racketeering and sex-related crimes against women and girls, in an 18-page federal indictment that accuses the singer and members of his entourage of recruiting women and girls to engage in illegal sexual activity.

Besides racketeering, the indictment includes charges of transporting for prostitution and coercion or enticement of a female and alleges that Kelly had rules for the women, including not allowing them to eat or use the bathroom and not permitting them to look at other men and telling them to keep their heads down.

The 13-count Chicago indictment filed on Friday details efforts by the accused to cover up sexually explicit videos of Kelly with underage girls. Prosecutors say the defendants paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to victims and witnesses to make sure they would not cooperate with law enforcement.

It also accuses Kelly of using physical abuse, violence and blackmail to prevent victims from providing evidence to police.

Joseph Fitzpatrick, a US attorney spokesman, said the indictment also contained charges that revolve around child abuse images and obstruction of justice.

The counts include child porn, enticement of a minor and obstruction of justice, Fitzpatrick said. He said further details would be released later on Friday.

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