R. Kelly Facing New Sex Crimes Charges in Minnesota Over 2001 Allegation

R. Kelly is facing a litany of sex crimes charges in both Illinois and New York, with child pornography among the charges in his home state. Now the disgraced Chicago singer is facing sex crimes charges in Minnesota, too. As the Chicago Sun-Times reports, Kelly has been charged with two counts of underage prostitution in Minnesota over a 2001 allegation.

Officials from the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office announced the charges on Monday. “Some might say, ‘Aren’t you piling on?’” County Attorney Mike Freeman said. “Well, frankly, Minnesota victims deserve their day in court.”

The alleged victim first met Kelly back in July 2001 when he was signing autographs in Minneapolis. The victim was given a phone number to call, and when she called it she was told to come to Kelly’s hotel room. When she arrived, Kelly offered to give her $200 for her to take her clothes off and dance. She accepted the offer, but she was reportedly underage at the time.

Freeman said there was “sexual contact” between the two, but “no intercourse” took place. Police were first made aware of the incident when the victim called into a Chicago tipline back in January, which is when Surviving R. Kelly first aired. As of right now, there’s no court date set for Kelly in Minnesota. In response to the new charges leveled against his client, Kelly’s attorney Steve Greenberg tweeted, “This is beyond absurd.”

In both the Illinois and New York cases, Kelly has pleaded not guilty and been denied bail.