R Kelly is reportedly close to facing criminal charges over a sex tape that allegedly shows the star having sex with a 14-year-old girl.
The footage, which allegedly shows the sex act between the singer and the underage girl, is thought to be in the hands of US prosecutors. Kelly has continually denied any wrongdoing.
According to Business Insider, the jury met last week to begin discussing the possibility of criminal charges against the singer over the tape.
But in a widely distributed statement, Kelly’s lawyer Steve Greenberg says he is “unaware of any ‘special’ grand jury being convened to look into R. Kelly.”
“There is no record of any such proceedings, and no need for them. The report is false,” said Greenberg.
According to CNN, which has reportedly seen the tape, it runs for nearly 45 minutes and sees Kelly engaging in sexual activities with the girl.
The tape was reportedly discovered by lawyer Michael Avenatti, who says that “the time frame of the sexual assaults depicted in the video is within in the Illinois statues of limitations.”
The latest controversy to engulf the star comes after the release of ‘Surviving R Kelly’ earlier this year. The documentary featured testimonies from a slew of women who accused the star of sexual assault. Kelly has continually denied all the claims that are made in the documentary.
Meanwhile, police in Georgia recently confirmed that Kelly was facing a criminal investigation after the TV series aired. Sources claim that the Fulton County District Attorney’s office was looking into allegations of sexual abuse, and have contacted multiple women as a result of the allegations made in the docuseries. It was also reported last month that the FBI were investigating further claims against Kelly.
Kelly was also recently dropped by his record label according to reports. It came after a protest banner was flown over Sony headquarters in California on January 12, demanding that the singer be dropped from the label after facing multiple sexual misconduct allegations. The banner, which was organised by the women’s group Ultraviolet, took aim at RCA, saw a plane fly above their Culver City offices, alongside a banner that read: “RCA/Sony: Drop Sexual Predator R. Kelly.”