R. Kelly was issued a $1 million bond in a Chicago court on Saturday over charges that he sexually assaulted four women, including three teenagers.
The 52-year-old Grammy-winning R&B star, whose real name is Robert Kelly, had turned himself over to police on Friday night after he was charged with a 10-count indictment. His lawyer Steve Greenberg has said Kelly is “an innocent man,” adding, “I think all the women are lying.”
Kelly is accused of aggravated sexual abuse of four female victims, including three who were between the ages of 13 and 17 at the time, and prosecutors say the alleged incidents occurred as far as 1998. In court on Saturday, a judge called the allegations against the singer “disturbing.”
Kelly entered the courtroom wearing a black hoodie and dark pants and stood during the entire proceeding with his hands behind his back. He showed no emotion when a prosecutor read the charges against him, occasionally glancing at them or at the floor.
Kelly was ordered to avoid contacting any victims or witnesses or anyone 18 years old or younger, and also ordered to turn in his passport and not possess any firearms. His $1 million bond includes $250,000 per alleged victim. Each of the charges carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
If Kelly posts $100,000 bail, or 10 percent of his bond, he will be able to be released ahead of his trial.
His lawyer told reporters that Kelly is a lifelong resident of Chicago, has a residence in a Trump Tower, has lived here in whole life and said he has the singer’s passport, adding, “Mr. Kelly, contrary to his song, doesn’t like to fly.” He reiterated that his client is innocent.
“He’s a rock star, he doesn’t have to have nonconsensual sex,” Greenberg said. “We’re going to look at the evidence and see where it takes us.”
The artist’s next hearing is on Monday.
The indictment comes nearly two months after Lifetime aired the docu-series Surviving R. Kelly, in which multiple women accuse the singer of sexual abuse. It is unclear if any of them are included in the indictment.
Chicago Police Department
In 2008, Kelly was tried and acquitted of child pornography charges. He has consistently denied allegations of sexual misconduct.