CHICAGO _ Building inspectors showed up at R. Kelly's recording studio in Chicago on Wednesday afternoon to investigate reports that people were living there in violation of city codes.
Police blocked off an alley near the studio at 219 N. Justine St. after Fire Department and Buildings Department vehicles arrived.
The inspectors walked through a small black door into the two-story brick structure as a screeching noise that sounded like cut metal could be heard from the building next door.
A man who would not identify himself to reporters in the alley walked up to the door and knocked, but no answered.
On Friday, a Cook County judge granted an emergency motion by the city to allow building inspectors to enter the industrial warehouse.
In a court hearing last week, an inspector for the Buildings Department, David Trejo, testified that when he and his team went to the property they saw windows that had been "sealed up" and evidence that the building "was not being used as a warehouse" as intended.
After Judge Patrice Ball-Reed granted the city's motion, Kimberly Roberts, an attorney for the city's Law Department, told reporters that a building being used for residential purposes requires smoke detectors and other safety measures that need to be inspected. In addition, allegations of "some illegal parties" being held at the property were made, she said.
If violations are found, the owner could be fined up to $1,000 per day per violation _ costs that could be passed on to Kelly if he was in violation of the terms of his lease.
The recording studio has become the site of multiple protests following the release of the Lifetime documentary series "Surviving R. Kelly," which documents decades of abuse allegations against the R&B superstar. The inspection was not related to any criminal case against Kelly, a Law Department spokesman said.
More than a decade ago, Cook County prosecutors indicted Kelly on child pornography charges alleging he filmed himself having sex with a girl estimated to be as young as 13, but a jury acquitted him of all charges in 2008. Kelly has long denied all allegations of sexual abuse and running a "sex cult."
Online records show the 8,000-square-foot building is on the market at an asking price of just under $4 million. The real estate listing states that the property is "fully rented" with a "high-profile tenant" paying nearly $23,000 a month. The first floor has a "fully built out recording studio, lounge and full kitchen," the listing states.
The lease, made public as part of an eviction lawsuit, shows that Kelly was granted permission to "modify the existing recording studio" to meet his "specific needs." He also was allowed under the terms of the lease to create an "apartment-type area on the second floor," according to the records.
However, the lease specifically stated that Kelly was responsible for complying with "all applicable laws and building codes" when making the alterations.
Kelly has until early next week to pay nearly $175,000 in back rent and other costs to avoid being evicted from the studio, according to court records obtained by the Chicago Tribune.
