After decades of allegedly terrorizing women and underage girls, it’s looking like the self-proclaimed Pied Piper of R&B will finally pay the piper.
CNN reports that a grand jury has been convened in Cook County, Ill., in connection with new allegations leveled against singer R. Kelly—presumably related to a second tape, featuring the “I Wish” crooner engaged in sexual abuse with an underage girl, that was turned over to police on Feb. 14.
While the Cook County State’s Attorney office previously encouraged alleged victims of the Chicago native to come forward, it would not confirm the existence of a new investigation or any grand jury proceedings.
“Grand jury proceedings are, by law, supposed to be secret, so to the extent people are commenting on what may or may not be going on today are possibly violating the law. Still, I can tell you that I am unaware of any proceedings,” Steve Greenberg, an attorney for R. Kelly, told CNN.
“No one from law enforcement has contacted me or my client regarding any potential investigation,” he continued. “Certainly they are aware that I am representing him so if there were any reason to speak to him I would suspect they would have reached out to me.”
According to CNN, the second tape—which they viewed—shows the embattled singer having sex with a girl who refers to her body parts as 14 years old. However, it’s celebrity lawyer Michael Avenatti who turned the tape in to police last weekend, as he’s representing a “whistleblower” against Kelly.
“My client knows the identity of the girl and R. Kelly. He identified the two of them on the videotape. He worked for and has known R. Kelly for decades and he met the girl on a number of occasions,” Avenatti said.
However, Kelly’s legal team claims they are unaware of any “new information involving Mr. Kelly,” Greenberg told CNN. “We have not been contacted by anyone. We have not been informed about any new information by anyone and we have not been contacted by law enforcement.”
Meanwhile, Tandra R. Simonton, the chief communications officer for the State’s Attorney’s Office, would not “confirm or deny” any investigation when the tape was first reported last week.
As for the details of the “clear and explicit” tape itself, CNN describes it is 42 minutes and 45 seconds in length.
There are two scenes on the video: one apparently in a living room and another in a bedroom. A naked man who appears to be R. Kelly is seen performing multiple sex acts with the girl. She is heard calling him “daddy” multiple times.
It is impossible to know her age just from the video. They both refer to her “14-year-old p***y.” Six times the girl refers to her genitalia as 14 years old.
At one point, the man asks the girl to urinate. After she does, he urinates on her.
If this sounds familiar, it’s because it mirrors many of the alleged acts that lead to the then 35-year-old singer’s arrest for child pornography in 2002, only to be acquitted of all charges six years later.
But hopefully, as the walls continue to close in on the Chicago native in the aftermath of Lifetime’s harrowing Surviving R. Kelly docuseries, he’ll finally be brought to justice.