R. Kelly indicted on 10 counts of aggravated sexual abuse

R&B superstar R. Kelly was indicted Friday on 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse of four victims, at least three between the ages of 13 and 17, over a 12-year period.

The Cook County State Attorney’s office in Chicago detailed the charges at an afternoon press conference in the latest legal trouble for the acclaimed singer.

“Earlier today Robert Kelly was indicted before a Cook County grand jury on 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse involving four victims,” Cook County State Attorney Kimberly Foxx said at the press conference.

Foxx said the incidents began in 1998, and she identified the victims only by their initials.

“A grand jury returned an indictment on four counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse based on the victims being under the age of 17 and Robert Kelly being more than five years older than the victim,” Foxx said.

Foxx then detailed the three other individuals, all of whom were described as victims of crimes alleged to have occurred over a period of years.

Kelly is scheduled to appear in bond court on Saturday. A message left to his lawyer was not immediately returned.

Attorney Michael Avenatti, who represented adult actress Stormy Daniels in her legal entanglements with President Trump, handed over a 40-minute video to Cook County authorities last week that he said showed Kelly having sex with a 14-year-old.

“Earlier this month we uncovered and recovered a videotape of over 40 minutes in length. We promptly brought it to the attention of Ms. Foxx and others in her office,” Avenatti said at a news conference he arranged Friday afternoon. “This tape leaves no question as to whether R. Kelly is guilty of multiple sexual illegal acts against a 14-year-old girl.”

Avenatti said the tape contains “two separate scenes shot on two separate days within Mr. Kelly’s residence at the time.”

For years, Kelly had faced allegations of sexual misconduct with minors, which formed the basis for a six-part television documentary series on the Lifetime network titled “Surviving R. Kelly.”

Kelly married his protégé Aaliyah in 1994, but after Vibe magazine questioned the couple’s marriage certificate, it was learned that she was just 15. The marriage was swiftly annulled.

In 2008, Kelly was acquitted of child pornography charges after an underage girl who appeared in a video that showed her having sex with Kelly refused to testify in the case.

From the mid-’90s onward, Kelly’s songs, including “I Believe I Can Fly” and “Ignition” dominated the pop and R&B charts.

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