R. Kelly bond set at $1 million on sexual abuse charges
An Illinois judge set a $1 million bond for R. Kelly on Saturday, a day after he was charged with 10 counts of aggravated sexual abuse. The 52-year-old Grammy winner turned himself in late Friday and spent the night in jail before he was taken to the courthouse.
Cook County Judge John Fitzgerald Lyke Jr. said the bail amount equals $250,000 for each of the four people Kelly is charged with abusing. The bond requires Kelly to post $100,000 to be released.
Kelly was also ordered to have no contact with anyone 18 years old or younger and was forced to surrender his passport, CBS Chicago reported reported.
A prosecutor told the judge that Kelly met one of the four accusers at his 2008 trial on child pornography charges. The two met when he gave her an autograph, and the abuse occurred between 2009 and 2010. The accuser gave law enforcement a shirt that had Kelly's DNA on it, the prosecutor said.
Kelly is accused of abusing four victims, at least three of whom were underage, in incidents that date back to 1998. The most recent alleged abuse took place in 2010.
For decades, Kelly has faced allegations of sexual misconduct with underage girls, but had denied them. His attorney, Steve Greenberg, said Kelly is not a flight risk and told the judge, "Contrary to the song, Mr. Kelly doesn't like to fly."
Greenberg said his client "really doesn't have any more money" and suggested that others mismanaged his wealth. Still, he said he expects Kelly to come up with enough money to make bail.
When asked how Kelly would find the cash, Greenberg said, "That's none of your business."
