Entertainment

R. Kelly Pleads Not Guilty To 10 Counts Of Sexual Abuse Charges

(Photo by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for Clear Channel)

Katie Jerkovich Entertainment Reporter
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R. Kelly pleaded not guilty Monday in Chicago to ten counts of aggravated sexual abuse charges against the R&B singer.

The 52-year-old singer — clad in an orange jail jumpsuit and with his hands clasped behind his back — appeared in a Cook County courtroom where his attorney, Steven Greenberg, entered the not-guilty plea to 10 charges of sexual abuse against Kelly.

Kelly has been accused of sexually abusing four women, three of whom were underage at the time of the alleged crimes, according to the Chicago Tribune. (RELATED: Superstar Rapper Says He Failed Alleged R. Kelly Survivors: ‘We Failed Our Communities As Black People’)

Singer Robert Kelly, known as R. Kelly, appears in a booking photo provided by the Chicago Police Department in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., on February 23, 2019. Courtesy Chicago Police Department/Handout via REUTERS

Singer Robert Kelly, known as R. Kelly, appears in a booking photo provided by the Chicago Police Department in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., on February 23, 2019. Courtesy Chicago Police Department/Handout via REUTERS

Some of the allegations against the “Bump N’ Grind” hitmaker included allegedly carrying out a yearlong relationship with a girl he met in 1998 when she was turning 16-years-old. Another involved allegation claims Kelly videotaped himself having sex with a young girl at his home in the late 1990s.

The alleged crimes are said to have taken place over a dozen years, from 1998 to 2010, according to CNN. (RELATED: Fans Don’t React To R. Kelly’s Boycott Over Sexual Abuse Allegations The Way You’d Expect)

Kelly has yet to post his $1 million dollar bond, which was set on Saturday. In order to be released, he must post 10 percent of the bond and surrender his passport.

This after the singer surrendered to authorities Friday following his indictment from a grand jury on the ten counts. Kelly has previously denied any wrongdoing.

As previously reported, Michael Avenatti, who recently claimed to have turned over a videotape to police that showed Kelly allegedly having sex with an underage girl, praised authorities for filing charges.

“Included in the evidence we recently uncovered and recovered is a VHS videotape of Mr. Kelly engaging in multiple sexual assaults of a girl underage,” Avenatti said. “This tape, which is clear, is approximately 45 minutes in length and has never previously been publicly disclosed or, until recently, provided to law enforcement.”

In the last two months, Kelly has been the focus of numerous reports following the release of the Lifetime docuseries called “Surviving R. Kelly.” The show focused on numerous domestic and sexual assault allegations against the embattled singer from several of his accusers. For years, he has been accused of abusing and forcing underage women into a “sex cult.”

He is next scheduled to appear in court on March 22.