CHICAGO — Attorney Michael Avenatti said Thursday he has given Chicago prosecutors new video evidence of R&B star R. Kelly having sex with an underage girl.
Avenatti said the video isn’t the same evidence used in Kelly’s 2008 trial, when he was acquitted on child pornography charges. CNN reported the nearly 45-minute VHS tape shows a man appearing to be Kelly performing sex acts with a girl who refers to her body parts as 14 years old.
Tandra Simonton, spokeswoman for Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx, wouldn’t confirm or deny the office is investigating.
Kelly and his attorney have for years denied allegations of sexual misconduct involving women and underage girls. His attorney didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday on the latest allegations.
Avenatti said his office was retained in April 2018 by multiple people regarding allegations of sexual assault of minors by Kelly, whose legal name is Robert Kelly.
Avenatti said the video surfaced during a 10-month investigation that included witness interviews and examination of documents and evidence throughout the U.S. He said the person who provided the tape knew both Kelly and the female in the video. He also said he didn’t know where the person had kept the video or why they hadn’t provided it to law enforcement previously.
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