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Singer R. Kelly faces court hearing on child pornography charges
June 6, 2002 Posted: 11:06 AM EDT (1506 GMT)
LAKELAND, Florida (CNN) -- R&B singer R. Kelly faces a court hearing before a Florida judge Thursday afternoon after being arrested on charges of child pornography.
Kelly was arrested in Florida Wednesday hours after he was indicted by a grand jury in Chicago on 21 counts of child pornography, stemming from a videotape that allegedly shows the star performing sexual acts with a 14-year-old girl.
A spokeswoman for the Polk County, Florida, Sheriff's Office said R. Kelly was taken into custody there, but would not elaborate. Allan Mayer, an attorney for the Grammy-winning singer, also confirmed he was in custody.
Court sources said that Kelly's possible extradition to Illinois was expected to be discussed at the hearing.
Earlier Wednesday, authorities in Chicago said an arrest warrant had been issued for the 35-year-old singer, whose full name is Robert Kelly, after the grand jury returned the indictment.
If convicted, R. Kelly could be sentenced to up to 15 years in prison and fined a maximum of $100,000.
"It's unfortunate to see Mr. Kelly's talent go to waste," said Chicago police superintendent Terry Hillard at a news conference announcing the indictment. "Make no mistake, these are very harmful crimes."
"Everyone must be held accountable for their own personal conduct and that should be the message everyone takes from today's news," Hillard added. "Criminal conduct -- no matter who's involved -- cannot and will not be tolerated here in the city of Chicago. The fact that he is a celebrity is of no importance to us."
R. Kelly said he would be proven innocent.
"Even though I don't believe any of these charges are warranted, I'm grateful that I will have a chance to establish the truth about me in a court of law. I have complete faith in our system of justice, and I'm confident that when all the facts come out, people will see that I'm no criminal," he said in a statement released through attorney, Edward Genson.
Authorities said the investigation was launched February 1 after the Chicago Sun-Times newspaper received an anonymous videotape along with a claim that the man in the video was R. Kelly. The paper turned the tape over to police, which then had its sex crimes unit investigate further.
Investigators interviewed more than 50 witnesses who went before the grand jury and identified the singer as the person in the video, authorities said. The FBI crime lab in Quantico, Virginia, authenticated the tape, officials said.
"We would not have proceeded if we weren't confident with the identification of the people on the tape," said Cook County State's Attorney Richard Devine.
He said the grand jury indicted R. Kelly -- who is best known for his hit "I Believe I Can Fly" -- on seven counts of videotaping the sex acts, seven counts of producing the video and seven counts of soliciting or enticing the girl into having the acts.
"These indictments hopefully will send a message to sexual predators that taking advantage of minors will not be tolerated," Devine said.
Authorities would not comment on the identity of the girl in the videotape. The Chicago Sun-Times said she was the then-14-year-old daughter of an associate of R. Kelly's, but added that the girl and her parents have denied the allegations.
Bootleg copies of the video are for sale on the street across the country, selling for $10 for VHS and $15 for DVD.
Hillard said anyone who has the material possesses illegal child pornography.
"It would be my advice to you to dispose of those tapes," he said.
:eek2:
June 6, 2002 Posted: 11:06 AM EDT (1506 GMT)
LAKELAND, Florida (CNN) -- R&B singer R. Kelly faces a court hearing before a Florida judge Thursday afternoon after being arrested on charges of child pornography.
Kelly was arrested in Florida Wednesday hours after he was indicted by a grand jury in Chicago on 21 counts of child pornography, stemming from a videotape that allegedly shows the star performing sexual acts with a 14-year-old girl.
A spokeswoman for the Polk County, Florida, Sheriff's Office said R. Kelly was taken into custody there, but would not elaborate. Allan Mayer, an attorney for the Grammy-winning singer, also confirmed he was in custody.
Court sources said that Kelly's possible extradition to Illinois was expected to be discussed at the hearing.
Earlier Wednesday, authorities in Chicago said an arrest warrant had been issued for the 35-year-old singer, whose full name is Robert Kelly, after the grand jury returned the indictment.
If convicted, R. Kelly could be sentenced to up to 15 years in prison and fined a maximum of $100,000.
"It's unfortunate to see Mr. Kelly's talent go to waste," said Chicago police superintendent Terry Hillard at a news conference announcing the indictment. "Make no mistake, these are very harmful crimes."
"Everyone must be held accountable for their own personal conduct and that should be the message everyone takes from today's news," Hillard added. "Criminal conduct -- no matter who's involved -- cannot and will not be tolerated here in the city of Chicago. The fact that he is a celebrity is of no importance to us."
R. Kelly said he would be proven innocent.
"Even though I don't believe any of these charges are warranted, I'm grateful that I will have a chance to establish the truth about me in a court of law. I have complete faith in our system of justice, and I'm confident that when all the facts come out, people will see that I'm no criminal," he said in a statement released through attorney, Edward Genson.
Authorities said the investigation was launched February 1 after the Chicago Sun-Times newspaper received an anonymous videotape along with a claim that the man in the video was R. Kelly. The paper turned the tape over to police, which then had its sex crimes unit investigate further.
Investigators interviewed more than 50 witnesses who went before the grand jury and identified the singer as the person in the video, authorities said. The FBI crime lab in Quantico, Virginia, authenticated the tape, officials said.
"We would not have proceeded if we weren't confident with the identification of the people on the tape," said Cook County State's Attorney Richard Devine.
He said the grand jury indicted R. Kelly -- who is best known for his hit "I Believe I Can Fly" -- on seven counts of videotaping the sex acts, seven counts of producing the video and seven counts of soliciting or enticing the girl into having the acts.
"These indictments hopefully will send a message to sexual predators that taking advantage of minors will not be tolerated," Devine said.
Authorities would not comment on the identity of the girl in the videotape. The Chicago Sun-Times said she was the then-14-year-old daughter of an associate of R. Kelly's, but added that the girl and her parents have denied the allegations.
Bootleg copies of the video are for sale on the street across the country, selling for $10 for VHS and $15 for DVD.
Hillard said anyone who has the material possesses illegal child pornography.
"It would be my advice to you to dispose of those tapes," he said.
:eek2:
This statement may be out of line.....but..........never video tape your sex acts. Keep it on the down low.
