On August 31, 1994, US musician R. Kelly married his colleague Aaliyah, who was then 27 years old, her 15. The marriage was illegal, and the marriage was later annulled. Now Kelly has to be legally responsible for this episode.
Prosecutors in New York accuse the now 52-year-old in a new indictment, bribed a civil servant in 1994 and paid him money for a forged ID card. According to The New York Times, the musician purchased the document for Aaliyah to spend as a full-year - and marry a day later.
The new allegations were added to the already existing indictment of Kelly. He has been sitting in a jail in Chicago since July. The prosecutor in New York accuses him of, inter alia, sexual abuse and blackmail. The musician ("I Believe I Can Fly") has incited employees, including bodyguards and assistants, to attract girls for illegal sexual acts. Kelly assures his innocence.
Aaliyah died in 2001 in a plane crash. She was 22 years old.
