American singer R Kelly was arrested in Chicago on federal sex trafficking charges, by the New York Police Department and Federal Homeland Security agents on Thursday, law enforcement sources told CBS News.
According to the US Attorney’s Office in northern Illinois, Kelly is facing 13 counts, including child pornography, enticement of a minor to engage in criminal sexual activity and obstruction of justice.
He is facing two separate federal indictments, one in northern Illinois and one in New York. The New York Eastern District was expected to file racketeering charges on Friday.
US Attorney’s Office spokesman Joseph Fitzpatrick said Kelly was apprehended at about 7 p.m. Chicago time and was being held by federal authorities. According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, Kelly was being held at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Chicago.
Darrell Johnson, Kelly’s publicist, told CBS News that the singer’s team had been expecting federal charges, and they are ready to fight them.
R Kelly has already been charged with over 20 counts of sexual abuse. He was first charged in February with 10 counts of sexual abuse involving four women, some of whom were minors. In May, he was charged with an additional 11 felony counts, including some that carry a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison.
The charges in May stemmed from accusations from Jerhonda Pace, whose allegations were recounted in the docu-series titled Surviving R. Kelly.