After struggling to come up with the funds, embattled singer R. Kelly posted the $100,000 necessary to secure his release from Cook County Jail in Illinois on Monday. According to CNN , Kelly faced a barrier of reporters waiting outside the gate as the singer and his lawyer walked to a van without speaking to the assembled crowd.
The 52-year-old spent the weekend behind bars after turning himself in for 10 counts of sexual assault, a felony in the state. The judge set Kelly’s bail at $1 million, which means that he would be forced to pay $100,000 to be free, but the singer said that he couldn’t come up with the money because his finances were complicated.
Part of the issue was nearly $165,000 in child support payments that the singer had failed to make. There was a question of whether or not he needed to pay that amount before he could post bail.
Before making bail, the singer was being held in the hospital section of the jail. His lawyer, Steve Greenberg, said Kelly was holding up despite the difficult situation, reported NBC .
“He’s doing as well as can be expected under the circumstances,” Greenberg said. “The jail staff has been great; they got him at the hospital unit, not because he’s sick or anything like that but because that’s the most secure place for him to be, and he’s certainly hoping to get out of jail.”
The singer was arrested last week after prosecutors filed charges for 10 counts of assault against four different women, three of whom were minors. Each count carries three to seven years if convicted. If indicted, Kelly, who was born Robert Sylvester Kelly, could face life in prison.
Female R. Kelly fans had reportedly been calling the court clerk’s office trying to post bond for the singer: https://t.co/EuVZsrDHiZ pic.twitter.com/1ENIN0WcUt
— Complex Music (@ComplexMusic) February 25, 2019
Kelly’s alleged crimes came to light after the docuseries Surviving R. Kelly aired on Lifetime earlier this year. Chicago police began looking for evidence that could support the allegations made in the documentary. A few weeks ago, attorney Michael Avenatti, who represented Stormy Daniels in her case against President Donald Trump, said that he was turning over video evidence that clearly showed Kelly engaging in sexual intercourse with an underage woman who called her body parts 14-years-old.
A grand jury was convened to review the evidence, and a short while later, Kelly was charged. Today, Avenatti said that he had a second video in his possession that he was turning over to police that showed Kelly with the same teenager.
Kelly’s next court hearing is set for March 22.
