Since the turn of the year, R Kelly has been under fire following allegations that he sexually abused a number of underaged girls. The 52-year-old musician, whose full name is Robert Kelly, had previously been investigated on and acquitted of charges pertaining to the abuse of a teenage girl, but new accusations came to light following a documentary series titled Surviving R Kelly.
Now, in the midst of a criminal investigation, two more women have come forward to say that they experienced sexual misconduct at the hands of Kelly during the 1990s.
Rochelle Washington and Latresa Scaff, now aged 39 and 40 respectively, say that they were plied with alcohol and drugs during an after-concert party in Baltimore in either 1995 or 1996, then invited up to Kelly's hotel room and told to lift up their skirts.
The two women claim that Kelly arrived, and approached them with his penis exposed. He then insisted that they join him for a threesome. Washington refused, and hid in the bathroom, but Scaff allegedly stayed and engaged in sexual conduct with the artist.
"When I first met R. Kelly that night, I was very happy and excited because I was young and starstruck," Scaff said. "However, now that I am an adult, I feel hurt by what he did to me when I was only 16 years old and under the influence of alcohol and marijuana, which had been provided to me at his afterparty."
"I did not have the capacity to consent," she added.
The things that happened that night have troubled Scaff ever since, but she only decided to come forward now "because of all of the other victims".
The women's accounts suggest that aides of Kelly's had a hand in orchestrating the scenario, and had perhaps been complicit in finding other girls for the musician on other occasions.
Gloria Allred, the lawyer who is representing Washington and Scaff (along with several other alleged victims), is adamant that Kelly will face justice for his actions.
"You have nowhere to run and nowhere to hide," she said, referring to Kelly, at a news conference earlier this week. "You have been able to get away with your predatory misconduct for far too long."
Meanwhile, Steve Greenberg - Kelly's lawyer - has said that the singer "never knowingly had sex with an underage woman, he never forced anyone to do anything, he never held anyone captive, he never abused anyone".
These new allegations come just a week after Michael Avenatti, who famously represents Stormy Daniels, claimed to have a tape in his possession that showed Kelly engaging in sexual acts with an underage girl. CNN reviewed the video and reported that it shows a naked man who appears to be R. Kelly perform multiple sex acts with a girl. The girl can be heard calling the man "daddy" and they both refer to her "14-year-old p***y" several times.
Today R. Kelly was charged with 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse in Cook County, Illinois. Prosecutors accuse him of sexually abusing four victims, with at least three of them underage, between the years 1998 and 2010. Aggravated criminal sexual abuse carries a sentencing range of three to seven years. If convicted, Kelly could face a maximum of 70 years in prison.