R. Kelly faces new federal charges of child pornography and obstruction of justice, which reportedly includes paying off a victim's family
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R&B singer R. Kelly has been arrested on federal charges of child pornography and obstruction of justice, officials say.
New York Police Department detectives and agents from Homeland Security Investigations arrested Kelly in Chicago.
State prosecutors filed 11 felony charges against Kelly at the end of May. He was initially charged with 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse in February.
Kelly was also named in a Brooklyn indictment that was unsealed on Friday.
Singer R. Kelly has been arrested in Chicago on federal sex crime charges Thursday night, officials say.
New York Police Department detectives and agents from Homeland Security Investigations took Kelly into custody in Chicago at 7 p.m. local time on Thursday, according to NBC, who broke the news of Kelly's arrest. The case is expected to be brought to New York.
Kelly's publicist confirmed the arrest and the federal charges to ABC News. A news conference is planned for Friday morning to discuss the charges, he said.
Kelly was arrested on 13 counts of child pornography and obstruction of justice, the US Attorney's Office in Chicago said in a statement. However, they did not specify the number of each count of the indictment, which was handed down on Thursday.
The New York Times reports that Kelly is accused of giving the family of one of his underage victims' money, expensive gifts, and a trip abroad to try to dissuade them from talking to law enforcement.
State prosecutors filed 11 felony charges against Kelly at the end of May. He was initially charged with 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse in February.
According to the New York Times, a Brooklyn grand jury indicted Kelly on five counts, including violation of the Mann Act (which prohibits people from being transported across state lines to engage in illegal sexual activity) and racketeering.
Five victims were included in the Brooklyn indictment, which was unsealed on Friday, with three being minors at the time of the alleged crimes.
Kelly's lawyer, Steve Greenberg, posted a statement about the rapper's arrest to Twitter on Friday.
Greenberg said the allegations are "decades old" and that Kelly is "look[ing] forward to his day in court." The statement said that Kelly would remain in custody until his bail hearing early next week.
Kelly has repeatedly denied the allegations.
"I didn't do this stuff," he said in a March interview with CBS News' Gayle King. "This is not me. I'm fighting for my f---ing life."
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