After spending the weekend in jail, R. Kelly is out on bail after his $100,000 bond was posted Monday. The R&B singer, charged with 10 counts of sexual abuse, will have to pay off a six-figure child support payment if he wants to stay out of jail, TMZ reports.
The scene outside the Cook County Jail Monday afternoon was chaotic, according to the news outlet, after Kelly posted 10 percent of his $1 million bail with a cashier’s check. Media members as well as protesters lined the street waiting for Kelly.
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The news outlet reports that Kelly is due to pay $160,000 in back child support to ex-wife Drea Kelly by March 6. If he doesn’t come up with the payment, he will reportedly go back to county jail. Sources close to Kelly told TMZ that he plans to pay the child support by next week.
Kelly’s lawyer, Steve Greenberg, had previously indicated that Kelly’s wealth had been “mismanaged” and that “hangers-on” and “bad deals” were some of the reasons why Kelly “really doesn’t have any money at this point.”
Kelly is next scheduled to appear in court on the sexual abuse charges on March 22.
After leaving jail, Kelly’s first stop was a Chicago McDonald’s, where a crowd followed him inside. After about half an hour he and his team left.
The fast-food outing came after Kelly pleaded not guilty to all 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse against him on Monday morning. The “I Believe I Can Fly” singer is facing the charges after being indicted by a grand jury on Friday and turning himself in to authorities on Saturday, resulting in his arrest.
Wearing an orange jumpsuit and flanked by sheriff’s deputies, Kelly was in court Monday. After Greenberg entered Kelly’s not guilty pleas for him, he also told the presiding judge that Kelly had surrendered his passport, as was previously ordered.
The 10 counts of sexual abuse alleged against Kelly are against four victims, three of whom would have been underage at the time of the alleged crimes. Cook County’s State Attorney Kimberly Foxx said that the abuse took place over 12 years. Prosecutors say there is video that shows multiple sex acts, allegedly with Kelly and a 14-year-old girl.
Kelly has categorically denied the claims against him, with Greenberg saying he doesn’t believe the accusers. “I believe all the women are lying,” he said, according to CNN.
High-profile attorney Michael Avenatti, who is representing one of the accusers, called Greenberg’s statement “outrageous and completely unprofessional.” Avenatti reportedly played a role in getting key evidence in the hands of a grand jury in recent weeks, leading to last week’s indictment.
The attorney said that Kelly will likely face federal charges for his alleged crimes in the near future. “I expect R Kelly to also face federal charges in the coming weeks/months. These charges will be distinct from the crimes for which he was charged yesterday and will result in a separate criminal proceeding,” Avenatti tweeted on Saturday. “Ultimately, R Kelly will rightly spend his remaining days in prison.”
Photo credit: Earl Gibson III / Stringer / Getty
