R. Kelly Will Remain in Custody While Being Transported to New York City for August Court Date
R. Kelly, who is currently being held without bond in Chicago, has reportedly been ordered to remain in custody while traveling to New York City, where he will face a separate indictment alleging the sexual abuse of underage girls.
According to the Chicago Tribune, Kelly will be transported to a federal courthouse in Brooklyn for his Aug. 2 court date, after which he will be returned to Chicago, ahead of a separate hearing scheduled for September.
Kelly has been in Chicago since July 11, when he was arrested on federal charges including child pornography, racketeering and obstruction of justice — per two indictments out of Chicago and New York City.
The indictments were confirmed by court documents and his lawyer, who issued a statement via Twitter on July 12, saying they “look forward to his day in court, to the truth coming out.”
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The singer also faces a separate five-count indictment from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, It includes charges of racketeering and violations of the Mann Act, which “prohibits transporting people across state lines for the purpose of prostitution,” the New York Times previously reported.
The indictment, obtained by PEOPLE, stated that Kelly and his team — including managers, bodyguards and assistants — “traveled throughout the United States and abroad to perform at concert venues … and to recruit women and girls to engage in illegal sexual activity with Kelly” as far back as 1999.
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He is alleged to have required the women under his watch to follow “numerous rules.” They “were not permitted to leave their room without receiving permission, including to eat or go to the bathroom,” were “not permitted to look at other men” and “were required to call Kelly ‘Daddy,’” the documents claimed. The indictment also accused Kelly of “engaging in sexual activity with girls under 18 years old,” failing to disclose “a sexually transmitted disease Kelly had contracted” and producing child pornography by requesting underage girls send him photographs.
In addition to this, prosecutors alleged Kelly and his team “paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to victims and witnesses” to ensure they would not cooperate with law enforcement, the Associated Press reported. The Chicago indictment also accused Kelly of using physical abuse, violence and blackmail to “prevent victims from providing evidence to law enforcement.”
