R&B singer R. Kelly, accused of sexual abuse, was released from a Cook County jail on Saturday in a case stemming from allegations of unpaid child support.
Kelly, whose real name is Robert Kelly, told reporters "I promise you we're going to straighten all this stuff out. That's all I can say right now."
Kelly, 52, was already out on bail in a criminal case accusing him of aggravated sexual abuse, and was taken into custody on Wednesday over $161,663 in allegedly unpaid child support dues.
Kelly was taken into custody on Wednesday by a judge after he said that he did not have the entire $161,000 he owed in child support. Sophia Ansari, a spokeswoman for Cook County Sheriff’s Department, which operates the jail, told the Associated Press that she did not immediately know who paid the child support he owed.
Steve Greenberg, Kelly's lawyer, told reporters Saturday that his client is innocent and enjoys the presumption of innocence.
"We don't try people in the court of public opinion. So we're going to focus on the evidence, we're going to fight the case in the courtroom," Greenberg said.
He said that with regards to the child support case and what was posted, a judge had entered a gag order and that he could not comment much on that case. "He's got a divorce lawyer. She'll be addressing those matters when they go back to court on Wednesday," Greenberg said.
David France, manager for Kelly's ex-wife, Andrea Kelly told the Chicago-Sun Times in an article published earlier this week that the singer had not made any of his payments.
Kelly pleaded not guilty to 10 counts of felony aggravated criminal sexual abuse last month. A grand jury indictment listed four victims, at least three of whom were younger than 17 at the time of the alleged abuse between May 1998 and January 2010.
Authorities set his bond in the criminal sex abuse case at $1 million, which meant he was required to come up with 10 percent of that amount in order to be released.
Kelly was criminally accused of sexual misconduct in 2002, eventually tried on child pornography charges in the same case and cleared by a jury in 2008 on all counts.
Allegations of sexual misconduct against the singer gained renewed attention this year with the airing of a Lifetime docuseries "Surviving R. Kelly" in early January.
Kelly and his lawyers have denied that he has engaged in illegal activity.
In an interview with CBS News’ Gayle King that aired Wednesday, Kelly said, "I didn’t do this stuff."
"This is not me. I’m fighting for my f---ing life," he said.
Greenberg, Kelly's attorney, said he has not spoken with the singer about that interview, but "I don't think he regrets" it. "I think that Mr. Kelly should be able to speak out however Mr. Kelly wants to speak out."
"He sat for an interview. He wanted to sit for that interview. He's not hiding," Greenberg said. He said "it doesn’t help his case, it doesn’t hurt his case. We are going to try this case in a courtroom."
Asked if Kelly was concerned about his career, Greenberg responded: "Of course he’s concerned about his career — wouldn’t you be concerned about your career?"
"But he’s going to go on, he’s going to continue to make music, and he’s going to perform if he can. That’s going to be up to the judge,” Greenberg said. "Does he think his career is over? No, absolutely not."
