R. Kelly Arrested on Federal Sex Trafficking Charges: Law Enforcement Officials – NBC New York

Singer R. Kelly has been arrested in Chicago on federal sex crime charges, according to two law enforcement officials.

The 52-year-old was arrested Homeland Security Investigation agents and NYPD detectives Thursday night on sex trafficking charges, officials tell News 4, and it is expected he will be brought to New York.

Further details on the case are expected to be announced Friday.

Spokespeople from the NYPD and Homeland Security Investigations declined to comment on the arrest. Calls to the U.S. attorney in Brooklyn were not immediately returned.

Attempts to contact a spokesperson and legal team for R. Kelly were not immediately successful. Drea Kelly, the singer’s ex-wife, had no comment following the arrest, her rep said.

The R&B star, whose real name is Robert Kelly, has been the subject of different sexual abuse allegations for nearly two decades, with some of the alleged acts dating back to 1998.

Back in February, Kelly was charged with aggravated sexual abuse involving four women, three of whom were minors when the alleged abuse occurred. He pleaded not guilty and was released from Chicago’s Cook County Jail after posting bail.

A jury in 2008 acquitted Kelly of child pornography charges stemming from a video showing him having sex with a girl as young as 13, prosecutors claimed at the time. Kelly faced 15 years in prison for that charge, but the young woman in that claim denied it was her and did not testify.

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