KELL IN A CELL
R Kelly’s lawyer claims star ‘doesn’t have any money’ as he fails to come up with $100k bail and spends night in jail after sex charges
ACCUSED R Kelly "really doesn't have any more money", his lawyer claimed as he was forced to spend last night in jail.
The Grammy-winning R&B star — who has sold 30million albums — was unable to pay a £77,000 bond after he was held on ten sex abuse charges.
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Kelly needed to pay one tenth of the $1million total bail set by a judge in Chicago on Saturday.
Attorney Steve Greenberg argued for a lower figure, claiming his client's "finances are in a mess" after he was dropped by record label Sony last month.
He later suggested others had mismanaged his wealth, although he expects Kelly will be able to come up with the bond money given time.
The judge ordered Kelly to surrender his passport, ending his hopes of a lucrative concert tour of Europe in April.
The I Believe I Can Fly singer defiantly scheduled gigs in Germany and the Netherlands despite a string of allegations, but Greenberg denied that any tour was planned.
Mr Greenberg said his client is not a flight risk. He told the judge: "Contrary to the song, Mr Kelly doesn't like to fly."
After the hearing the lawyer told reporters: "This is someone who should be wealthy at this stage of his career.
"And through mismanagement, through hangers-on, and bad contracts, and bad deals, and bad leases like he had in his studio, he really doesn't have any money at this point.
"I don't even think he owns the rights to I Believe I Can Fly."
He also insisted again Kelly is innocent. He said: "He's a rock star. He doesn't have to have non-consensual sex."
He is extraordinarily disappointed and depressed. He is shellshocked by this.
Steve Greenberg
Kelly, 52, handed himself in on Friday after prosecutors announced ten charges involving four women — three of them aged from 13 to 16 at the time.
If convicted he faces three to seven years on each count, said Cook County State's Attorney Kimberly Foxx.
He met one of the alleged victims during his 2008 child abuse trial, the judge heard.
She is said to have asked for an autograph and allegedly abused the underage girl while the trial was going on.
The 2008 trial stemmed from a video that was said to show him having sex with an underage girl as young as 13. He was acquitted.
Yesterday his lawyer said all his accusers were lying after he was charged with ten counts of aggravated sexual abuse.
Mr Greenberg said Kelly was "extraordinarily disappointed and depressed" and added: "He is shellshocked by this."
The charges came days after campaigning lawyer Michael Avenatti uncovered video that allegedly shows R Kelly having sex with a girl who says on camera she is 14.
The 43-minute tape is said to feature a man "who appears to be R Kelly performing multiple sex acts with the girl", reported.
She and the singer refer to her age ten times, according to reports, and she calls him "daddy".
The man allegedly asks the girl to urinate before he urinates on her, the broadcaster claims.
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Kelly has faced claims of sexual abuse for more than two decades.
Most recently in the Netflix documentary Surviving R Kelly revealed harrowing accounts of his alleged abuse.
It claimed he ran an "abusive cult" in which he allegedly kept women captive.
Kelly's lawyers dismissed the documentary as "another round of stories" being used to "fill reality TV time".
Two women come forward with allegations of sexual misconduct against R&B singer R Kelly
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R. Kelly - New video allegedly showing singer engaging in sexual acts with underage girl handed to authorities
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