Robert Kelly, also known as R. Kelly, has been charged with bribing a government official. The bribe was in order to get a fraudulent identification document related to his 1994 marriage to R&B singer Aaliyah Haughton.

The certificate which was leaked at the time listed Aaliyah’s age as 18, however, it has been confirmed that she was 15 and R. Kelly was 27. The pair got married in a secret ceremony arranged by Kelly at a hotel in Chicago. The singer’s marriage was annulled months later due to Aaliyah being under age.

The court documents reportedly say the bribe was paid on 30 August 1994. This was just one day before the two singers married. 

Aaliyah died in 2001 in a plane crash while in the Bahamas. Her debut album, Age Ain’t Nothing But a Number, was written and produced by R. Kelly.

The BBC reports that Kelly denies all wrongdoing. 

The 52-year-old-singer, who is being held without bond is scheduled to stand trial in federal court in Chicago in April on child pornography and obstruction of justice charges before facing trial in Brooklyn. 

Kelly currently faces 18 federal counts, including kidnapping, forced labour and child pornography.

Words: Jess Pennell

Photo: Unsplash