‘20 YEARS OF ABUSE’
R Kelly ‘kidnapped and sexually abused underage girls he lured from his gigs and forced to call him “Daddy” in 20-year trafficking ring’
R KELLY kidnapped and sexually abused underage girls he lured from his gigs before forcing them to call him “Daddy” during a 20-year trafficking ring, an indictment alleges.
The disgraced singer was arrested on Thursday nearly five months after he was released on bail for additional sexual abuse charges.
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The 52-year-old faces nine counts of enticing a minor, three counts of child abuse material and one count of obstruction of justice.
He was arrested in Chicago Thursday night while walking his dog, reported .
His arrest came about after an agent was left stunned watching Surviving R Kelly documentary about the "paedo" singer.
The source at Homeland Security Investigations told : “It was an agent on our trafficking unit who was watching that Lifetime show, ‘Surviving R. Kelly'.
“They were looking at the victims’ interviews” and realised that “this is so much bigger than [what] he has previously been charged with."
STRICT RULES
The singer is expected to be brought to New York for questioning, reported.
Kelly was last night being held at Cook County jail, his spokesman confirmed.
Further details about his arrest and the case are expected to be announced on Friday.
Kelly has been dogged for decades by allegations that he abused underage girls - and even held some women as slaves.
A five-count federal indictment accused Kelly of making videos of himself having sex with minors.
The indictment also accused him of paying minors and their families to lie to investigators about allegations against him.
And he allegedly exposed one woman to a sexually transmitted disease without her knowledge.
Other allegations in the indictment say Kelly and his managers, bodyguards and other assistants picked out women and girls at concerts and other venues and arranged for them to travel to see Kelly.
The singer and his team also allegedly set strict rules for the girls to follow.
Girls were not allowed to leave their rooms - even to eat or go to the toilet - without the singer's permission, it is claimed.
They were also obliged to call him "daddy" and weren't allowed to look at other men, the indictment alleges.
'20 YEARS OF ABUSE'
The indictment claims the criminal acts occurred over a 20-year trafficking ring - dating back to 1999 - both in the US and overseas.
Kelly allegedly performed sexual acts on girls under 18 and without disclosing that he had a sexually transmitted disease.
It also accuses him of producing child pornography, including by asking under 18s to send him nude photographs.
Also on Friday, a 13-count indictment against Kelly was released in the Northern District of Illinois.
He was charged with one count of conspiracy to receive child pornography, two counts of receiving child pornography, four counts of producing child pornography, five counts of enticement of a minor to engage in criminal sexual activity, and one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice.
EXPLOSIVE INTERVIEW
In March, Kelly gave an explosive TV interview to defend himself - during which he needed to be physically restrained.
He yelled “I’m fighting for my f***ing life” during the emotionally charged talk with CBS This Morning host Gayle King.
As Kelly was quizzed on allegations he held young women captive, he sobbed: “I don’t need to – why would I?
“How stupid would that be for R Kelly, with all I’ve been through in my past, to hold somebody.
“Use your common sense.”
He became more agitated and banged on his chest as he exploded: “Stop it, quit playing. I didn’t do this stuff.
"This is not me. I’m fighting for my f***ing life.”
Asked if he is suggesting his accusers are lying, Kelly replied: "Absolutely. Absolutely. Absolutely."
He added: "I have been assassinated. I have been buried alive. But I'm alive."
SEX ABUSE CHARGES
In February the singer, real name Robert Sylvester Kelly, was charged in Chicago with 10 counts of aggravated sexual abuse involving four women.
Three of his alleged victims were underage minors aged 13 to 16 at the time of the supposed crimes.
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And in May he was hit with 11 fresh counts of sex assault in Illinois - related to a January 2010 incident.
He has pleaded not guilty - but if convicted, Kelly could face up to 70 years in jail.
Kelly was acquitted of child pornography charges in 2008.
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R Kelly arrested on suspicion of sex trafficking by New York cops
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R Kelly arrested on suspicion of sex trafficking by New York cops
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