Embattled R&B singer R. Kelly was hit with additional federal charges in New York on Friday for allegedly giving an underage girl and woman herpes and failing to disclose he had the disease.
An indictment filed in the Eastern District of New York includes charges of coercion and enticement, coercion of a minor, racketeering, and transportation of a minor across state lines. The latest court document accuses Kelly, 53, of giving an unidentified girl and woman genital herpes in 2015 and 2017, according to the New York Daily News.
Federal prosecutors also alleged that Kelly filmed an illicit sexual encounter he had with the underage victim. The racketeering charges include claims that the singer used force, threats of force or physical restraint against at least one of his alleged victims.
“It seems that the government has sought to add additional allegations as to alleged conduct, with what they believe to be more specificity. Why these alleged facts relating to conduct were not known by the government until now, or included in the indictment until now, raises questions for my defense team to take an interest in,” Kelly’s lawyer, Doug Anton, told TMZ.
Federal prosecutors in Illinois have charged Kelly with a total of 26 criminal counts — 13 which were filed in February — for charges including child pornography, obstruction of justice, and sexual abuse of a minor. In addition to the counts filed against him this week, the singer is facing five federal charges in New York for alleged racketeering and sex trafficking that crossed state lines.
READ More: Ongoing R. Kelly coverage
Kelly is also facing a total of 21 sex-related criminal charges in Cook County, Illinois — 11 which were filed in May and 10 in February. Those state charges reportedly stem from incidents dating as far back as 1998 and involve at least three underage girls.
In August, authorities in Minnesota charged Kelly with two counts of prostitution with a person under 18 in connection with an alleged 2001 incident.
Kelly remains jailed without bond in Illinois as he awaits trial. He has repeatedly denied all allegations of sexual misconduct.
For the latest true crime and justice news, subscribe to the ‘Crime Stories with Nancy Grace’ podcast. Listen to a related episode.
[Featured image: R. Kelly/E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune via AP, Pool, File]
