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CHICAGO — A Chicago judge on Saturday gave R&B super star R. Kelly a chance to go free while he awaits trial on charges he sexually abused four people.
Cook County Judge John Fitzgerald Lyke Jr. set a $1 million bond for the singer. Lyke called the allegations against Kelly “disturbing” said the amount equals $250,000 for each of the four people Kelly is charged with sexually abusing. The bond requires the Chicago native to post $100,000 before being released.
Lyke is the same judge who presided over “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett’s bond hearing earlier this week. He banned Kelly from having contact with anyone younger than 18.
CHICAGOANS TURN ON SMOLLETT, CLAIM HE’S ‘FULL OF SH*T, HURTING ‘REAL’ VICTIMS
During Saturday’s 17-minute hearing, prosecutors laid out their case against Kelly, as he stood facing the judge with his arms cuffed behind his back. At times he shook his head in disagreement and once leaned over to whisper something to his lawyer, who patted Kelly on the shoulder.
Several relatives of Kelly’s alleged victims were also in the courtroom.
Kelly’s attorney Steve Greenberg told the judge that, “Contrary to the song, Mr. Kelly doesn’t like to fly,” in reference to the Grammy-award winner’s popular song “I believe I can fly.”
The singer, whose full name is Robert Kelly, was charged Friday with 10 counts of criminal sexual abuse involving at least three underage victims between 1998 and 2010. The counts each carry a maximum of seven years in prison. The charges follow decades of rumors and allegations that the music star was abusing women and underage girls.
Greenberg rejected allegations that Kelly sexually abused anyone, telling reporters: “He is a rock star. He doesn’t have to have nonconsensual sex.”
R. KELLY ARRESTED FOLLOWING MULTIPLE CHARGES OF CRIMINAL SEXUAL ABUSE: POLICE
Kelly has denied all allegations of sexual misconduct.
On Friday, Greenberg told reporters he thought that “all the women are lying.”
“Mr. Kelly is strong, he’s got a lot of support and he’s going to be vindicated on all these charges — one by one if it has to be.”
Kelly’s DNA was found in semen on one of the accuser’s shirts, and semen found on one worn by another was submitted for DNA testing, Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx said.
Kelly met one of the accusers when she was celebrating her 16th birthday party at a restaurant and another when he signed an autograph during his 2008 trial on child-pornography charges, Foxx said.
Prosecutors said they have a video of another accuser that shows R. Kelly having sex with her when she was 14.
A fourth accuser told prosecutors that she thought she was going to braid R. Kelly’s hair, but that he instead tried to force her to give him oral sex. The woman, who was 24 at the time, was able to pull away, but Kelly ejaculated on her and spit in her face, Foxx said.
Kelly turned himself in Friday night. He arrived at the Central District police station in Chicago shortly after 8 p.m. in a large, black van and wearing a black hoodie and a bright blue coat.
Kelly is one of the top-selling recording artists of all time.
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His arrest sets the stage for another #MeToo-era celebrity trial after Bill Cosby went to prison last year.
Fox News’ Tyler McCarthy, Stephanie Nolasco, Julius Young and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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