celebrity news

R Kelly is facing charges for bribing an official so he could marry Aaliyah when she was 15 years old


R Kelly is facing charges over bribing an official to marry Aaliyah when she was just 15 years old (Picture: REUTERS/Getty)

R Kelly is facing charges for bribing an official, so he could marry Aaliyah when she was just 15 years old.

According to reports, a new indictment accuses the singer, 52, of bribing a government official in Illinois back in 1994 to obtain a fake ID for Aaliyah to show she was 18 years old.

It’s alleged the ID was used in order to secure a marriage license when Aaliyah was 15. Kelly, then 27, and Aaliyah married in August 1994, a day after the alleged bribe took place, reports The New York Times.

The same claim was made in a documentary, Surviving R Kelly, that aired in January, by one of Kelly’s former tour managers.

Responding to the claims, Kelly’s lawyer, Steven Greenberg, said in an interview with Good Morning America: ‘My understanding is that [Aaliyah] did not claim to be 15, and in order to get married, she had to lie about her age.’

Their marriage was later annulled.

Greenberg said he will review the new charges brought against Kelly, but ‘at first look it does not appear to materially alter the landscape’, while another of his attorneys, Doug Anton, dubbed the charge ‘ridiculous’ – according to TMZ.

Kelly is currently being held in custody over 18 previous charges (Picture: Getty)

Metro.co.uk has reached out to Kelly’s rep.

Kelly had produced Aaliyah’s first album when she was 14 years old. Aaliyah, who was best known for hits such as Try Again and If Your Girl Only Knew, died in a plane crash in the Bahamas when she was just 22 years old.

The new charges against Kelly add to an already existing indictment filed against the star – accusing him of ‘sexually exploiting underage girls and coercing them into illegal sexual activity’.

He is currently in prison, without bail, after he was indicted on 18 charges back in July, including sexual exploitation, child pornography production, kidnapping, forced labour, racketeering, and obstruction of justice.

Kelly has denied all charges against him.

The latest allegations against the Ignition hit-maker come after his girlfriend Jocelyn Savage was forced to speak out and deny Instagram and Patreon accounts in her name, belong to her.

Such accounts had shared posts claiming Jocelyn was going to tell her story about Kelly. She released a statement, insisting somebody had impersonated her, and again denied any claims Kelly abused her.

Jocelyn Savage spoke out in defence of R Kelly while denying social media accounts teasing to tell her story belong to her (Picture: Getty Images)

‘I am truly tired of all the lies that they are saying about the man we love so much, and our best friend R. Kelly,’ she said.

‘It has been said that I have left him and he has abused me and all kinds of nonsense. I have said before, none of it is true. It is a shame how they are treating him, it is so wrong on so many levels and he does not deserve this.

‘I am not going to be a part of the assassination of R.Kelly’s name, music career and his character. How will we ever be able to get a fair trial anywhere in the world with all these lies that are being told on him?

‘Please free him and let him come home in peace. I promise you he is not the person you guys think he is. He is the best thing that has ever happened to me and Azriel [Clary].’

Jocelyn continued: ‘I’ve been through so much with him and we have a bond that is so special that no-one ever can break. Like, this is truly coming from my heart, I would never in a million years hurt him like this. I would never do that.

‘So it’s just really, really, really sad that somebody would pretend to be me and put it out in the world saying that I’m a victim, that I am brainwashed.’

The families of both Jocelyn and Azriel have spent years trying to get their daughters to come home, believing they were being forced to stay with R Kelly and mistreated.



Got a showbiz story?

If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.

MORE: Katherine Jenkins is mugged after stepping in to help elderly woman being ‘violently’ robbed

MORE: Taron Egerton says he ‘fell in love’ with Elton John while preparing to star in Rocketman biopic





READ SOURCE

Leave a Reply

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this site, you accept our use of cookies.