R. Kelly has been hit with additional charges by the state of Minnesota, according to Minneapolis’ Fox affiliate, the St. Paul Pioneer Press, and TMZ. Mike Freeman, the Hennepin County Attorney, read the charges — two felony counts of “engaging in, hiring, or agreeing to hire a minor to engage in prostitution” — at a press conference this afternoon.
Allegedly, in 2001, Kelly gave an autograph seeker at a Minneapolis concert his phone number and brought the underaged girl to his hotel room, where he paid her $200 “to get naked and have sexual relations with the musician.” The Pioneer Press reported that “there was sexual contact, but no intercourse.” The two felonies with which the singer is being charged add to his extended list of charges from both New York and Chicago, which include criminal sexual assault and abuse. He has pled “not guilty” to all charges but was denied bail by a judge. He is currently in custody in New York.
Kelly’s alleged crimes were recently highlighted by the Lifetime special Surviving R. Kelly, which prompted new investigations into the abuses with which he was accused. The new investigations turned up even more purported video evidence of the singer engaging in sexual activities with underaged girls.
