Kelly was arrested on Thursday in Chicago.
The arrest is part of a 13-count sex-crime indictment, which U.S. attorney spokesman Joseph Fitzpatrick told theChicago Sun-Times involves charges of child pornography and obstruction of justice. Kelly’s publicist confirmed the sex trafficking charges to WBBM-TV.
It is not clear what other additional charges Kelly could be facing, but Thursday’s indictment is separate from those filed by Cook County prosecutors in May 2019. Those charges relate to cases involving four women that accuse Kelly of rape and sexual molestation. Three of them were minors at the time the alleged assaults took place, with the acts reportedly taking place between 1998 and 2010.
One of the alleged victims, identified in court documents as JP, said the assault took place in 2010 where Kelly“by the use of force or threat of force and … acted in such a manner as to threaten or endanger the life of JP.”
During a June court appearance, Kelly pleaded not guilty to the 11 counts of sexual assault. Those charges are in addition to 10 charges of aggravated criminal sexual abuse levied against him in February. Of those allegations, nine listed the victims as between the ages of 13 and 16 at the time of the alleged assaults.
Additional information involving the charges from the latest indictment is also expected on Friday.
According to WNBC-TV,who first reported the story, Kelly’s arrest was conducted by agents from the Department of Homeland Security and the New York Police Department. Both the U.S. Attorney for Northern District of Illinois and the Southern District of New York are reportedly involved in the case.
Source: Newsweek
