R. Kelly Readies Not Guilty Plea To Charge Related To Aaliyah Marriage: Report

BYAron A.29.5K Views
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R. Kelly was charged with bribing officials to get a fake ID for Aaliyah.

Things keep getting worse and worse for R. Kelly. The singer's world began to crumble earlier this year after Surviving R. Kelly aired. Authorities came knocking on his door, investigations were done, and at the end of the day, it appears as though his past has officially come back to haunt him.

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Allegations of marrying Aaliyah when she was only fifteen have haunted him since the 90s but he was hit with bribery charges related to that incident in the last few weeks. According to The Blast, Kelly's lawyer, Steven Greenberg, has told the court that he's informed Kelly of the new indictment that includes charges of bribery. Kelly reportedly does plan on pleading not guilty. 

Prosecutors said earlier this year that they would be filing charges against Kelly related to his illegal marriage to Aaliyah. They claimed that Kelly and his team paid off a public official in order to obtain Aaliyah a fake ID that said she was 18-years-old when she was just 15. Kelly was 27-years-old at the time of their marriage.

Unfortunately for Kellz, it's been reported that his former tour manager will testify against the singer. Demetrius Smith said he bought the fake ID for Aaliyah in 1994 in order her for the two to get married. Of course, her parents eventually found out and annulled their marriage.


About The Author
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.
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