CHICAGO — R. Kelly pleaded not guilty Monday to charges that he sexually abused four people dating back to 1998, including three underage girls, and the R&B star posted $100,000 bail that will allow him to go free while awaiting trial.
Kelly walked into a Chicago courtroom wearing an orange jumpsuit after spending the weekend in the city’s 7,000-inmate jail. He said little during the brief arraignment, telling the judge only his name. His lawyers spoke on his behalf.
The singer-songwriter was arrested Friday on 10 counts of aggravated sexual abuse. A judge on Saturday set bond at $1 million, meaning Kelly had to post 10 percent of that amount to be released. A spokeswoman for the Cook County Sheriff’s Office said the money was posted late Monday afternoon, and Kelly was expected to be freed by early evening. He will be forbidden from having any contact with females younger than 18.
The recording artist has been trailed for decades by allegations that he violated underage girls and women and held some as virtual slaves. Kelly has consistently denied any sexual misconduct, and he was acquitted of child pornography charges in 2008.
Attorney Michael Avenatti, who said he represents two Kelly accusers, said his legal team gave prosecutors a second video Monday that shows Kelly sexually abusing a minor. Avenatti previously gave prosecutors video evidence that he said showed Kelly having sex with an underage girl.
BOGOTA, Colombia — The Trump administration announced new sanctions Monday on allies of Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro as it struggles to find new ways to boost his opponent after an effort to deliver humanitarian aid to the economically devastated nation faltered amid strong resistance from security forces loyal to the socialist leader.
Vice President Mike Pence arrived in the Colombian capital for an emergency summit of regional leaders to discuss the deepening crisis and immediately met with Juan Guaido, the opposition leader the U.S. and 50 other nations recognize as Venezuela’s rightful president.
In a speech, Pence urged regional partners to freeze oil assets controlled by Maduro, transfer the proceeds to Guaido and restrict visas for Maduro’s inner circle. He said the U.S. was imposing more sanctions on four pro-government governors, including a close Maduro ally who negotiated the release of an American jailed for more than two years.
Pence’s appearance before the Lima Group comes at an important crossroads for the coalition of mostly conservative Latin American nations and Canada that has joined forces to pressure Maduro. A month after Guaido declared himself interim president at an outdoor rally, hopes that support for Maduro inside the military would quickly crumble have faded.
TEHRAN, Iran — Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif resigned late Monday without warning, offering an “apology” to the nation as the nuclear deal he negotiated with world powers stands on the verge of collapse after the U.S. withdrawal from the accord.
Zarif’s resignation, if accepted by Iran’s relatively moderate President Hassan Rouhani, would leave the cleric without one of his main allies in pushing the Islamic Republic toward more negotiations with the West.
However, it remains unclear why Zarif chose to leave his post now and what effect it will have on the atomic accord, the terms of which Iran still abides. He likely briefed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei before offering his resignation. Khamenei, who has final say on all state matters, previously backed the American-educated envoy through the nuclear negotiations.
From Associated Press