Embattled singer R. Kelly was accused of bribing an Illinois government official in order to obtain a fake ID, so he could legally marry Aaliyah.
The bribery occurred on Aug. 30, 1994, the indictment claimed, according to a report published Thursday by the New York Times. Aaliyah is identified as “Jane Doe #1” in the indictment.
The fake ID was then used to obtain a marriage license where Aaliyah was listed as 18 years old instead of 15 years old, a source told the Times. Kelly was 27 years old at the time the two got married.
Kelly met Aaliyah when she was 12 years old and produced her first solo album “Age Ain’t Nothing But A Number” in 1994, the same year the pair secretly tied the knot. The marriage was reportedly annulled after a few months because Aaliyah was a minor. (RELATED: R. Kelly Indicted On Racketeering And Sexual Exploitation Of Children)
Aaliyah died in a plane crash on Aug. 25, 2001. She was 22 years old at the time.
The new accusation comes as an extension of Kelly’s racketeering indictment. The indictment accused Kelly of sexually exploiting and coercing underage girls into sexual activity. Kelly is facing multiple criminal charges in other cities as well.
Kelly’s lawyer, Steve Greenberg, claimed Kelly had no idea Aaliyah was 15 in an interview 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 said at the time.