Federal prosecutors have hit R. Kelly with a new allegation that appears to be tied to his illegal marriage to Aaliyah.
According to legal documents obtained by Complex, the disgraced entertainer is accused of paying a public official to create a fraudulent ID for an individual identified as "Jane Doe #1." The alleged bribery took place on Aug. 30, 1994, just one day before Kelly is said to have married an underage Aaliyah.
Per the document:
On or about August 30, 1994, within the Northern District of Illinois, the defendant ROBERT SYLVESTER KELLY, together with others, did knowingly and intentionally cause another individual to promise and tender to a public officer and public employee property, to wit: Unites States currency, that such public officer and public employee was not authorized by law to accept, with the intent to influence the performance of an act related to the employment and function of a public officer and public employee, to wit: the creation of a fraudulent identification document for Jane Doe #1, an individual whose identity is known to the Grand Jury, in violation of Illinois Criminal Code Sections 5/33-l(a) and 5/5-1.
Kelly has faced longstanding allegations that he provided falsified documents that listed Aaliyah's age as 18, when she was actually 15. Demetrius Smith, Kelly's former assistant, spoke about the secret wedding in the explosive Lifetime docuseries Surviving R. Kelly, claiming he was the one who obtained the falsified documents.
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"I was in the room when they got married," Smith said. "I’m not proud of that. I had papers forged for them when Aaliyah was underaged. It was just a quick little ceremony. She didn’t have on a white dress. He didn’t have on a tux. Just every day wear. She looked worried and scared."
Smith went on to say that the marriage was annulled within a year, after Aaliyah's mother and father took action.
"Her parents had the last say," Smith said.
Though media outlets have published a marriage certificate that seemingly confirms the secret wedding, Kelly has consistently denied that he and Aaliyah ever got married. But his attorney, Steven Greenberg, has told a different story.
"[Kelly] was married to [Aaliyah] when she was 15," the lawyer said during an appearance on Good Morning America earlier this year. "My understanding is that she did not claim to be 15 and, in order to get married, she had to lie about her age. [He had] no idea."