R. Kelly pleads not guilty to new sexual abuse charges

Singer-songwriter R. Kelly pleaded not guilty to 11 new felony charges in his sexual assault and sexual abuse case, one week after he was charged by Cook County prosecutors in Chicago.

The 52-year-old singer appeared at his Cook County arraignment on Thursday morning along with his attorney Steve Greenberg, reported E! News.

"It's the same evidence. We expect the same result," singer's lawyer Greenberg told reporters after Thursday's hearing, reported CNN.

Kelly has been charged with 11 new counts of sexual assault. A spokesperson for the Illinois Cook County Criminal Court said in a statement, "11 new charges related [to] sexual assault and sex abuse were filed against R Kelly."

According to the court documents obtained by E! News, prosecutors filed new counts on Kelly, including charges related to criminal sexual assault, aggravated criminal sexual assault, and aggravated criminal sex abuse.

Of the aggravated criminal sex abuse charges, three of the victims are underage, between the ages of 13 and 16.

Four of the aggravated criminal sex assault charges are class X felonies. In Illinois, this means the singer's charges carry a potential prison sentence of 30 years or more.

However, Kelly's Crisis Manager, Darryl Johnson, claimed that these charges are "old."

He said in a statement to E! News, "We knew they were coming and this was happening. He's not going to jail. We don't have the full details yet."

Greenberg also echoed similar sentiments as Johnson. He tweeted, "R. Kelly was NOT charged with a new case. He was recharged in an existing case, same alleged victim and time (a decade ago) It changes nothing."

He continued, "These are the same conduct, just charged differently, same alleged victim, same time frame, same facts. We expect the same results."

Kelly's recent charges follow allegations that were made earlier this year.

E! News reported in February, the 52-year-old star was charged with 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse in Cook County.

Court documents showed four alleged victims, with nine of Kelly's counts involving victims between the age of 13 and 16. At that time, the singer's lawyer entered a not guilty plea on his behalf, which regarded the 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse.

Despite the recent charges, Kelly has repeatedly denied all the allegations of abuse and misconduct levelled against him over the years.

He is scheduled to be present in front of the presiding judge on June 6, according to a Cook County criminal clerk.

( With inputs from ANI )