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A federal judge in Brooklyn ordered R. Kelly to be held in custody on Friday, citing “the strong possibility of witness tampering” in the singer’s upcoming trial on accusations that he led a long-running criminal scheme to recruit women and girls to have sex with him.

Mr. Kelly’s lawyer entered a not guilty plea on his client’s behalf after filing a letter arguing that Mr. Kelly had been falsely charged and was being victimized by “groupie remorse.”

Mr. Kelly, 52, who was already being held without bond on a separate federal indictment in Chicago, has been accused by federal and state prosecutors of victimizing at least 12 women, at least eight of whom were underage at the time of the encounters.

The raft of charges followed decades of allegations and rumors against the once-popular entertainer, whose full name is Robert S. Kelly.