R. Kelly back in jail after failing to pay child support

R&B singer R. Kelly was taken into custody Wednesday after failing to pay $161,000 in back child support payments, The Associated Press reported.

This is the latest in a string of legal troubles for the singer.

In February, Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx announced that Kelly had been charged with 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse. The charges against Kelly stem from incidents alleged to have occurred between 1998 and 2010 with four victims, three of which were under the age of 17.

Below is a timeline of events:

Update 5:40 p.m. EST March 6: Judge Lori Rosen found Kelly in contempt and ordered him into custody, The Chicago Tribune reported. Kelly must pay $161,663 to be released from jail, officials said. His next court date is March 13, The Associated Press reported.

Update 5:30 p.m. EST Feb. 25: Kelly, who is facing multiple criminal charges for alleged sexual abuse of underage girls, has posted bond in Chicago after three nights in jail, local media outlets reported.

Kelly was being held on a $1 million bond and was having trouble raising bail money, according to previous reporting.

Update 3:10 p.m. EST Feb. 25: Kelly's attorney, Steve Greenberg, said at a news conference Monday that he expects Kelly to post bail Monday evening, The Associated Press reported.

During a hearing earlier in the day, Greenberg entered a not guilty plea for his client, who was charged Friday with 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse for alleged incidents that occurred between 1998 and 2010, authorities said last week. The allegations involve four victims, including three who were underage at the time of the alleged incidents, officials said.

Update 10:55 a.m. EST Feb. 25: Kelly's attorney entered a not guilty plea for his client Monday after the musician was charged with sex abuse charges, according to The Associated Press.

Kelly wore an orange jumpsuit for the brief appearance Monday morning, according to WFLD. The news station reported he's scheduled to appear in court for his next hearing on March 22.

 

Update 9:30 a.m. EST Feb. 25: Kelly is expected to appear briefly in court Monday after spending the weekend in jail.

Kelly's attorney, Steve Greenberg, told The Associated Press that a judge is set to assign a trial judge to the case Monday.

Through his attorney, Kelly has denied the charges.

"He didn't force anyone to have sex," Greenberg told reporters Saturday, according to WGN-TV. "He's a rock star. He doesn't have to have non-consensual sex."

Update 9:45 a.m. EST Feb. 24: The Chicago Sun-Times reported R. Kelly was unable to pay $100,000 for bond and spent the night in jail.

The 52-year-old singer’s finances were “a mess,” according to his defense attorney Steven Greenberg. He said Kelly is expected to have enough cash to bond out of jail before his court appearance Monday.

Update 2:30 p.m. EST Feb. 23: Judge John Fitzgerald Lyke Jr. has set R. Kelly's bond at $1 million, according to media reports.

The court will confiscate his passport, tweeted BuzzFeed reporter Sarah Conway. Lyke ordered Kelly and associates to not communicate with victims. Further, Kelly is not allowed to have any relations with anyone 18 years old or younger.

Update 9:20 p.m. EST Feb. 22: R. Kelly turned himself in to Chicago police after being charged with 10 counts of aggravated sexual abuse.

 

The 52-year-old singer, whose real name is Robert Kelly, arrived at the precinct in a van about 8:15 p.m. Friday. If taken into custody, he is expected to be held overnight and appear Saturday in bond court.

Kelly’s attorney Steve Greenberg said he maintains his innocence and looks forward to being acquitted at trial.

Update 6:30 p.m. EST Feb. 22: R. Kelly's attorney said the singer is "shell-shocked" by the aggravated sexual abuse indictment against him and plans to turn himself in to authorities Friday night.

Steve Greenberg told The Associated Press that his client is "extraordinarily disappointed and depressed" by the 10 counts Chicago prosecutors filed against him.

Update 3:15 p.m. EST Feb. 22: Authorities held a brief news conference Friday to announce the charges against Kelly.

 

Foxx said the charges brought against Kelly involve four victims, three of which were under the age of 17 at the time of the alleged sexual abuse. The alleged sexual abuse took place between 1998 and 2010, she said.

The charges are class 2 felonies which carry maximum sentences of seven years per charge, Foxx said. She added that they were “also probationable.”

“We anticipate that Mr. Kelly will appear in bond court tomorrow afternoon,” Foxx said.

Update 2:50 p.m. EST Feb. 22: The Chicago Tribune reported that the charges against Kelly involve four victims, at least three of which are underage. The incidents were alleged to have occurred between 1998 and 2010 with minors between the ages of 13 and 16, according to the Tribune.

A judge on Friday approved of a no-bail arrest warrant for Kelly, the Sun-Times reported.

Authorities are expected to provide more information on the case at a news conference Friday afternoon.

 

Original report: Tandra Simonton, spokeswoman for the Cook County State's Attorney's Office, confirmed to The Associated Press that charges had been filed against the 52-year-old Grammy winner but declined to say the specific number. Media reports said there were 10 counts, all involving underage victims.

The charges are felonies that carry maximum sentences of seven years each, if Kelly is convicted, WGN-TV reported.

Kelly, one of the top-selling recording artists of all time, has several times over the years been accused of sexual misconduct, allegations that he’s consistently denied.

Jurors acquitted Kelly of child pornography charges at a 2008 trial. Those charges stemmed from a video prosecutors alleged showed of Kelly having sex with a girl as young as 13.

The latest charges were filed nearly two weeks after a man gave authorities new footage that purportedly showed Kelly engaging in sexual acts with an underage girl.

The man's attorney, Michael Avenatti, told CNN last week that the man was a whistleblower. Avenatti said his client "worked for and has known R. Kelly for decades and he met the girl on a number of occasions."

On Friday, Avenatti seemed to announce the charges against Kelly with a two word tweet: “It’s over.”

“After 25 years of serial sexual abuse and assault of underage girls, the day of reckoning for R. Kelly has arrived,” he wrote in a subsequent tweet.

Avenatti said he will provide more information about the case at a press conference Friday afternoon. Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx is also expected to hold a news conference Friday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Check back for updates to this developing story.

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