Singer R. Kelly pleaded not guilty to 11 new sex-related felonies at his arraignment in Chicago Thursday, CBS News reports.
The new charges against Kelly, 52, stem from the sexual abuse of Jerhonda Pace, then a minor, that allegedly took place in 2010. Pace told her story of alleged abuse in a docu-series called Surviving R. Kelly.
The hearing comes a week after prosecutors announced the new charges, including four counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault. Each carries a maximum prison term of 30 years.
The judge called the singer’s total composite bond of $1 million “a sufficient bond” and said it will stand.
The judge made clear to Kelly that his next court date is on 26 June while reminding Kelly that he is “out on bond. It’s incumbent upon you to appear in court on each and every court date,” he advises.
During a press conference after the hearing, Kelly’s lawyer, Steve Greenberg, tells reporters during a press conference: “We pled not guilty to all of the charges because he’s not guilty.
He continues: “If you didn’t do it, then you didn’t do it. I think he’s feeling positive. It’s tough. Everything is against him,” he adds.
Kelly pleaded not guilty in February to 10 counts of aggravated sexual abuse involving three girls and one woman over roughly 10 years starting in the late 1990s.
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