R. Kelly Facing Criminal Indictment After Grand Jury Is Convened in Chicago

R. Kelly's fate is currently in the hands of a grand jury that secretly convened last week, and now there is a real possibility the singer could be indicted on criminal charges.

Sources close to the situation confirmed to The Blast a grand jury was convened last week by the Cook County State's Attorney Office in Chicago.

We're told the grand jury -- comprised of a group of citizens -- was formed on the heels of attorney Michael Avenatti delivering a videotape allegedly depicting Kelly engaged in sexual activity with an underage girl.

Since the airing of the Lifetime docu-series, "Surviving R. Kelly," the public has been demanding charges be brought against him, but officials have yet to formally charge the star as they dealt with the hurdles of locating victims and forming a case.

However, one of the powers of the Cook County State's Attorney Office is the ability to assemble a grand jury, which can issue an indictment against a defendant without prosecutors having to present evidence at a preliminary hearing in front of a trial judge and a defense counsel.

The grand jury may also summon witnesses as they consider the matter at hand and decide on a possible indictment.

Cook County top prosecutor Kim Foxx has been publicly pleading with alleged victims and witnesses to come forward so that she could put a case together against Kelly. Foxx, a sexual assault survivor herself, admitted that the docu-series on the R&B star "sickened me."

We're told the grand jury will be presented with the VHS tape which appears to be of Kelly having sex with an underage girl.

Avenatti is representing the man, who allegedly worked for Kelly, and claims to know the identity of the girl. In the tape, she allegedly refers to her age as 14-years-old.

The walls have been closing in on Kelly for weeks, including a task force raiding his recording studio in Chicago and a criminal investigation launched in Georgia.

Kelly has maintained his innocence with statements through his attorney, and also a public birthday party where he proclaimed, "I don't give a f*ck!"

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