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The
new counts, unveiled last week in an indictment by a Cook County
grand jury, involve alleged abuse of a victim between the ages
of 13-16, according to documents posted on the Chicago
Sun-Times' website.
The allegations center on someone identified only as J.P., with
no other details provided. The alleged crimes allegedly took
place between May 2009 and January 2010.
Kelly, 52, could face up to 30 years in prison if convicted on
the new charges.
The R&B singer has denied abuse allegations for decades. In
2008, he was tried on child pornography charges and found not
guilty.
It was not clear from the charging document whether the new
counts are related to recent allegations, but Kelly's lawyer
Steve Greenberg said they were not.
R. Kelly "was NOT charged with a new case. He was recharged in
an existing case, same alleged victim and time (a decade ago) It
changes nothing," Greenberg wrote on Twitter after the jury
returned the indictment last week.
"These are the same conduct, just charged differently, same
alleged victim, same time frame, same facts. We expect the same
results," he wrote.
In February, Kelly pleaded not guilty to charges that he
sexually assaulted three teenage girls and a fourth woman. The
charges were brought after seven women including his ex-wife,
appeared on a Lifetime television documentary and accused him of
emotional and sexual abuse.
The singer, known for such hits as "I Believe I Can Fly" and
"Bump N' Grind," spent a weekend in jail on the sex charges
before being released on $100,000 bail on Feb. 25.
(Reporting by Gabriella Borter; Editing by Tom Brown)
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