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Grammy award winning singer, R. Kelly, has been arrested on federal sex trafficking charges. He was arrested on Thursday in Chicago by the New York Police Department and federal Homeland Security agents.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in northern Illinois, the “R&B king” whose real name is Robert Kelly, is facing 13 counts, including child pornography, enticement of a minor to engage in criminal sexual activity and obstruction of justice.
It is understood that the singer is now facing two separate federal indictments, one in northern Illinois and one in New York. It is expected that the New York Eastern District would file racketeering charges on Friday.
Kelly’s spokesman, Darrell Johnson, said his principal was arrested at about 9:30 p.m. local time in front of his apartment at Trump Tower in Chicago, while out walking his dog.
“Mr. Kelly has a lot of fans, people praying for him, wishing him the best. The best outcome is for him to be out — that’s what we all hope,” Johnson said.
Kelly is already facing about 21 charges of sexual abuse. In February he wS charged with 10 counts of sexual abuse involving four women, some of them minors while another 11 felony counts were slammed on him May.
The charges filed in May following allegations levelled against him by Jerhonda Pace, which were recounted in the Lifetime docu-series, “Surviving R. Kelly.”