R.&B singer R. Kelly’s latest federal trial began Monday with a jury on charges that he lured underage girls to have sex with him and obstructed the 2008 state case that led to his acquittal.
The 55-year-old multi-platinum artist is charged with sexual exploitation of a child, seduction of a woman and possession of child pornography, and will be tried in US District Court in his hometown of Chicago.
R. Kelly, whose full name is Robert Sylvester Kelly, was one of the most prominent people convicted of sexual harassment during the #MeToo movement. The singer’s former business manager, Derrell McDavid, and his partner, Milton Brown, were also charged with obstruction of justice for allegedly attempting to bribe and threaten witnesses during the 2008 Illinois case in which the singer was found not guilty of 14 counts of child pornography.
All three men have pleaded not guilty to the current federal charges and their trial is expected to last four weeks.
In a motion filed Sunday, R. Kelly’s attorney, Jennifer Bongen, asked to exclude all prospective jurors who watched the 2019 Netflix documentary series “Surviving R. Kelly,” which details the allegations against him.
R. Kelly’s defense attorney, Jennifer Bongen, acquits all potential jurors in Kelly’s upcoming trial who have seen any part of “Surviving R. Kelly.” pic.twitter.com/FFvlFJJFFE
— John Seidel (@SeidelContent) August 14, 2022
According to court documents, at least one of Kelly’s alleged victims is expected to testify against him.
In June, R. Kelly was sentenced by a New York federal court to 30 years in prison on charges of racketeering and prostitution. The court upheld the two-decade-long charge against the Grammy-winning singer of the “I Believe I Can Fly” hit.
R. Kelly also faces various state charges in Illinois and Minnesota.
