R. Kelly speaks publicly for 1st time since new sex abuse charges

Tuesday, March 5, 2019
CHICAGO (WLS) -- R. Kelly is speaking publicly for the first time since he was arrested two weeks ago on sexual abuse charges.

The R&B star became emotional as he told Gayle King that he never had sex with underage girls on CBS This Morning.

"Stop it. Y'all quit playing. Quit playing. I didn't do this stuff. This is not me. I'm fighting for my f------ life," he says in a clip from the interview.

Another clip shows him lashing out against the allegations,

"Forget the blogs, forget how you feel about me. Hate me if you want to, love me if you want, but just use your common sense. How stupid would it be for me, with my crazy past and what I've been through -- oh right now I just think I need to be a monster and hold girls against their will, chain them up in my basement," Kelly says.



The full interview is scheduled to air Wednesday morning.
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Kelly is facing 10 counts of aggravated sexual abuse with four alleged victims including three underage girls. He pleaded not guilty to all charges.

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Kelly was arrested on the charges in late February and spent three nights in Cook County Jail. He posted four instances of $25,000 bail - 10 percent of each $250,000 bond amount the judge placed on each victim - for a total of $100,000 bail on his $1 million total bond.

After his release Kelly's entourage picked up passengers and drove almost immediately to a popular River North McDonald's, then to a Gold Coast cigar bar.



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The Grammy-winning artist has sold more than 40 million albums in his career.



"Our position at this point is that Mr. Kelly has done nothing wrong," said Kelly's attorney, Steve Greenberg. "No one has showed us any evidence that he has done anything wrong."
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Greenberg said Monday he is not worried about additional charges coming against his client, and has not seen anything that leads him to believe his client has done anything wrong.

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The landlord at Kelly's West Loop recording studio claims he owes more than $174,000 in back rent, and earlier in February a judge ordered him to pay $161,000 he owes in child support.

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Michael Avenatti, an attorney for some of the alleged victims, said he turned over more video evidence to prosecutors.



"The videotape depicts Mr. Kelly engaged in illegal sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl," Avenatti said. "It is approximately 55 minutes in length. The conduct in the tape can be described as nothing short of outrageous, illegal. It leaves no question as to Mr. Kelly's guilt."

Avenatti said Monday he has been made aware of a third tape showing Kelly sexually abuse a minor.
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READ: R. Kelly indictment documents



On Friday afternoon, Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx detailed the charges against Kelly. Three of the four victims were between the ages 13 and 17 when the alleged abuse occurred, with Kelly being more than five years older than the victims, Foxx said. The alleged abuse took place between September 1998 and January 2010. The indictment papers do not say where the alleged crimes took place.

Foxx referred to the victims by their initials. The first victim said she was abused four times, between May 26, 1998 and May 25, 1999. The second victim said she was abused twice, between Sept. 26, 1998 and Sept. 25, 2001. The third victim said she was abused on Feb. 18, 2003. The fourth victim said she was abuse three times, between May 1, 2009 and Jan. 31, 2010.

In the indictment, the prosecution addresses the question of the statute of limitations, which is likely to be raised by the defense. It describes how prosecutors can charge Kelly under Illinois law even though the alleged crimes occurred as much as two decades ago.

The indictment said in at least one instance, the abuse of a minor occurred between 1998 and 1999 but that it clearly fell within the 20-year charging window allowed under Illinois law. The 20-year period only begins, it says, after a victim turns 18.

Foxx said aggravated criminal sexual abuse is a class 2 felony. If convicted, Kelly could face up to seven years in prison for each count. If a judge decides the sentences should be consecutive, he could be sentenced to up to 70 years in prison. Foxx said probation is an option.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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