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R. Kelly charged with 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse

In this image, a woman in a winter coat and gloves holds a sign that says "Mute Kelly." The words on the sign are written in red over a picture of R. Kelly's face.
Demonstrators gather near R. Kelly's studio to call for a boycott of his music. Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images

R&B singer R. Kelly was charged with 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse on Friday, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. His first court date will be March 8.

Driving the news: According to the Daily Beast, celebrity lawyer Michael Avenatti turned over a video tape to Cook County prosecutors last Thursday that allegedly showed Kelly performing sex acts with an underage girl. Last year, BuzzFeed's Jim DeRogatis published an investigation into Kelly, saying parents told police that R. Kelly kept women against their will in an abusive "cult." BuzzFeed News and Hulu developed a feature documentary on the subject of his alleged abuse and exploitation of young black women.

Go deeper: Women of color have been saying #MeToo for decades

Sexual assault