R. Kelly Under Investigation For Criminal Failure To Pay Child Support

BYAron A.Updated onFebruary 26, 20196.1K Views

R&B singer R. Kelly leaves the Cook County jail after posting $100 thousand bond on February 25, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. Kelly was being held after turning himself in to face ten counts of aggravated sexual abuse.

The legal troubles pile up for R. Kelly.

R. Kelly's not only facing 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse but now, he's under investigation for failure to pay child support, TMZ reports. Prosecutors in Chicago are now looking to charge the singer with a criminal count of failing to pay child support. This comes less than 24 hours after he posted $100K bond.

Chicago Police Department via Getty Images

The State's Attorney is looking into the $160K+ that he owes his ex-wife, Drea Kelly. She's been in contact with the prosecutors on the case who are now looking to charge the singer with a criminal offense. Any amount over $20K is considered a felony. If the charges go through, he'll be making his way back to jail.

The judge gave him until March 6th to pay the $161,663 he owes Drea Kelly or else he'll end up back in the slammer. However, the State's Attorney doesn't want the singer out of custody. They're looking to move things faster by filing a criminal case.

"In 30 years of practicing criminal defense law, I have never seen anyone prosecuted for non-payment of child support. Maybe it happens, but I've never seen it done in Illinois," Kelly's attorney, Steven Greenberg, said.

Drea Kelly's management team said, "We are aware that they are bringing criminal charges for non-payment of child support and we support any and all efforts that will make sure that his children are taken care of."

About The Author

Aron A.

Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.