R. Kelly Under New Georgia Investigation Following ‘Surviving R. Kelly’
Following the airing of the Surviving R. Kelly docuseries on Lifetime, the singer is under a new criminal investigation in the state of Georgia, Page Six reported, citing the Blast.
The investigation is being conducted by the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office, and is specifically concerned with the home Kelly once owned in the area — a home where witnesses in the documentary say he held women against their will. Prosecutors have interviewed Asante McGee, who was interviewed in the documentary, and are looking to talk to others.
The singer could be charged with false imprisonment, the Blast report said — and possibly with other crimes, as well.
Kelly, despite years of accusations, has never been convicted of any of the charges. He was tried on child pornography charges in Illinois, in 2008, in a trial that made up the bulk of one episode of the documentary. He was acquitted of the charges against him.
The Lifetime docuseries — from producer Dream Hampton — has been a major cultural phenomenon in the early days of 2019, drawing the network’s largest ratings in years, per the Inquisitr. The series, which finished airing over the weekend, looks back at the many accusations against the popular singer over the past 25 years, and how little attention they attracted at the time. Kelly maintained his status as a top pop star despite the accusations, and managed to work with industry icons ranging from Jay-Z to Lady Gaga.
A criminal investigation has been opened against R. Kelly in Georgia, reportedly due to "Surviving R. Kelly" https://t.co/z5bjvZF6ZP
— Vulture (@vulture) January 8, 2019
The six-part docuseries features interviews from many of Kelly’s accusers — but most of the A-listers who have worked with the singer declined to participate. John Legend was the lone exception, though he called doing so an “easy decision.” Legend later drew criticism, per the Inquisitr, for a photo that surfaced of him with disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein. The singer responded to these criticisms, saying that he was unaware of Weinstein’s offenses at the time he and Weinstein met. He added that he hopes both Weinstein and Kelly are eventually punished for their crimes.
While the broadcast of the Surviving R. Kelly series has led to a major increase in reports to the National Sexual Assault Hotline, it’s also led to an uptick of streams of Kelly’s music on Spotify.
Meanwhile, a report by TMZ on Tuesday placed three of Kelly’s accusers in the front row at a concert put off by the singer in 2016. As the Inquisitr details, one of those young women has been recovered, and is now home with her family.
