After pleading not guilty to sex crimes in New York and Chicago, R. Kelly has been charged with a sexual crime against an underage girl in Minnesota.
The incident occurred in Minneapolis in 2001, officially listed s two counts of engaging in in prostitution with an individual under 18 years old and offering to hire for sexual purposes a person under 18. Hennepin County State’s Attorney Mike Freeman confirm the chares in a news press conference.
Variety details the girl wanted an autograph from R. Kelly but also received $200 to have sexual relations with him after removing her clothes. The victim is stated to have been 16 years old when the encounter happened and it included “dancing and sexual contact,” but not actual sexual intercourse.
“Some might say, ‘Aren’t you piling on [against Kelly], he’s got federal charges in New York, state charges in Cook County [Illinois] and elsewhere,” Freeman said. “Frankly, Minnesota victims deserve their day in court and that’s why we’re here. In my view, too many prosecutors are ignoring victims. This one doesn’t.
“Before we can charge a case, we have to have sufficient evidence that a crime has been committed. But we listen to victims and we believe she deserves her day in court.”
R. Kelly’s attorney Steve Greenberg kept his comments short when he hit Twitter:
Re: New charges @RKelly give me a break. This is beyond absurd
— Steve Greenberg (@SGcrimlaw) August 5, 2019
Freeman was asked about the statute of limitations, which he states does not apply to this case. “Because he left the state, the statute doesn’t [end] until he returns to the state, and there’s no indication that he’s been in Minnesota for [a duration of] three years, then we have a case.”
last week, R. Kelly was denied bail on racketeering and sexual abuse charges in Brooklyn. Before his court appearance, his attorney stated Kelly went missing upon his arrival in New York. He is now back in a Chicago-based correctional facility as he is behind held without bond. The total charges that he has between New York and Chicago is 18.
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