(AllHipHop News) Federal prosecutors in New York have added a string of new charges to R. Kelly’s racketeering indictment, including an allegation of sex with a minor.
The embattled singer is already due to stand trial on racketeering, sexual abuse, and bribery counts in Brooklyn this July, but on Friday (March 13th), authorities added claims from two new women, leading to additional charges of coercion and enticement, coercion of a minor, and transportation of a minor across state lines.
One of the alleged victims, only identified in legal papers as “Jane Doe #5,” told authorities she was underage when she had sex with the “I Believe I Can Fly’ hitmaker in 2015.
The 52-year-old is also accused of filming his exploits with the girl, and failing to disclose the fact he had herpes during their relationship.
In addition to the sex crimes, the musician is facing new racketeering charges, with prosecutors claiming he used “force, threats of force, physical restraint and threats of physical restraint.”
R. Kelly, who is behind bars in Chicago, Illinois awaiting trial on other sex abuse charges, has always maintained his innocence, and after the updated New York indictment was released, his attorney, Doug Anton, called into question the legitimacy of the latest accusations made against his client.
“It seems that the government has sought to add additional allegations as to alleged conduct, with what they believe to be more specificity,” Anton shared in a statement.
“Why these alleged facts relating to conduct were not known by the government until now, or included in the indictment until now, raises questions for my defense team to take an interest in…”
Suggesting the women are fabricating their claims, he continued, “These are serious criminal allegations. How does an alleged victim ‘forget’ such things? Or… perhaps… these allege victims are not victims at all, but only women who have been told and instructed, even peer pressured if you will, years later, that the claimed relationship they freely and voluntarily engaged in, should now, in the #metoo era, be classified as ‘bad’ or ‘abusive,’ and they are continually seeking to add facts, even if not truthful, to their story, to make the alleged events as salacious as humanly possible.”