Embattled R&B crooner and alleged sex abuser R. Kelly reportedly has been released from jail — again — but his troubles are far from over.
The “Ignition” hitmaker was arrested this week after he allegedly failed to pay his ex-wife Andrea Lee the $161,000 in child support he had been ordered to hand over for their three children: Joann, 21, Jay, 19, and Robert, 17.
But according to The Blast, the 52-year-old singer was set free from Cook County jail on Saturday afternoon, March 9, 2019, after he raised the funds needed to pay his debt to Lee.
At the time of his arrest on Wednesday, March 6, a spokesperson for the Cook County Sheriff’s Office confirmed he had been taken into police custody after a court hearing, during which he allegedly tried to work out a payment plan with the judge but was denied.
And although Kelly has been let out of jail, he still faces further court battles as he is due back in court later this month to face 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse stemming from allegations made against him by four women, three of whom claim they were underage at the time the alleged incidents took place.
The “I Believe I Can Fly” musician was previously arrested on the counts two weeks ago, where his bail was set at $1 million after Cook County Judge John Fitzgerald Lyke Jr. found the allegations made against R. Kelly were very “disturbing.”
Kelly posted his bail a few days later and recently gave an emotional interview in which he insisted allegations against him are “not true.”
He said: “Quit playing, I didn’t do this stuff.
“This is not me. I’m fighting for my f—ing life! Y’all killing me with this s—! I’ve given you 30 years of my f—ing career! Thirty years of my career! Y’all trying to kill me! You’re killing me, man!
“This is not about music! I’m trying to have a relationship with my kids and I can’t do it! Y’all just don’t want to believe the truth. Y’all don’t want to believe it. This is not true! It doesn’t even make sense! Why would I hold all these women! Their mothers and fathers told me, ‘We’re going to destroy your career.'”
