R Kelly married Aaliyah when she was 15 by 'obtaining a fake ID using bribes'

New charge claims singer knew young musician's age after all

R Kelly’s lawyer recently confirmed that the singer married Aaliyah when she was 15 years-old, but it’s now been claimed that he used bribes to make it look legal.

According to a new indictment, prosecutors in New York have accused Kelly of obtaining a fake ID for Aaliyah by bribing an Illinois government worker on 30 August 1994.

The New York Times reports that someone close to the matter claims the fake ID was then used to illegally obtain a marriage licence that listed her age as 18.

This new allegation is part of an existing indictment filed against the singer that accused of him of sexually exploiting and coercing underage girls.

Earlier this year, Kelly’s lawyer Steven Greenberg told Good Morning America that Kelly was unaware of Aaliyah’s age, despite documentary Surviving R Kelly claiming otherwise.

“My understanding is that she did not claim to be 15, and in order to get married, she had to lie about her age,” Greenberg said.

The marriage was first reported in Vibe magazine more than two decades ago. In the article, the Illinois marriage licence that lists Aaliyah’s age as 18 is said to be dated just one day after Kelly is alleged to have paid the bribe.

Aaliyah, whose real name is Aaliyah Dana Haughton, died in a plane crash when she was 22 back in 2001. she was 14 when she released her first album – Kelly, now 52, was 12 years her senior.

The indictment, which was filed in June, accuses Kelly of being at the forefront of a criminal group that recruited his fans, some of whom were allegedly underage, to have sex with him.

Kelly has denied all claims of physical or sexual abuse and domestic violence.