CHICAGO _ Attorney Michael Avenatti said Friday that he believes charges are imminent against R. Kelly after giving Cook County prosecutors a tape purportedly showing the musician having sex with an underage girl.
"I'm not at liberty to get into the details of the time that I've spent here today and what's transpired," Avenatti said. "But needless to say, I'm confident that the predator known as Robert Kelly is soon to be indicted and charged for engaging in an illegal sexual assault in connection with, certainly, the victim on the tape that I supplied, as well as others."
The Cook County state's attorney's office did not respond to a request for comment Friday. A spokeswoman said Thursday that the office would not confirm or deny an investigation.
Avenatti said he gave prosecutors the tape this month. He declined to give specifics about when Kelly might be charged or with what crimes.
The video appears to have been made in the late 1990s in Chicago, he said this week. It apparently was recorded at a residence of R. Kelly's, though not his Near West Side studio, he said. He did not release information on the victim in the video because she was a minor at the time.
"I don't believe that R. Kelly should ever walk free another day in his life due to the conduct that's depicted on that videotape," Avenatti said Friday. "This guy's a predator, he's a sexual abuser of young girls, and he deserves to spend the rest of his life in prison."
Kelly's attorney, Steve Greenberg, has denied allegations of wrongdoing against his client.
"If R. Kelly is charged with anything, we will address it in court, and I am confident he will leave through the front door," he said Friday.
CNN reported that it has seen the tape. It quoted Avenatti as saying that his client "knows the identity of the girl and R. Kelly. He identified the two of them on the video. He worked for and has known R. Kelly for decades and he met the girl on a number of occasions."
About a month ago, State's Attorney Kim Foxx called on any accusers of R. Kelly to come forward, citing "deeply, deeply disturbing" allegations in a documentary series detailing long-standing accusations of sexual misconduct against the singer.
The six-hour documentary, "Surviving R. Kelly," was shown on the Lifetime channel and alleged that he has manipulated young women into joining a sex cult.
