R. Kelly’s upcoming New York trial based on racketeering, sexual abuse and bribery have been postponed to July 2020, due to his upcoming court dates in Chicago, Illinois. The date was changed to bar any conflicts.
U.S. District Judge Ann Donnelly decided yesterday (Feb. 6) that R. Kelly’s scheduled Apr. 27 (2020) trial date in Chicago made it doubtful that he would be available to stand trial in New York in mid-May.
Kelly, who is currently in a Chicago jail, appeared in court for the Brooklyn hearing via video conference.
The decision to delay proceedings was applauded by Kelly’s lawyer, Douglas Anton, who revealed the singer’s legal team still doesn’t know the identity of his alleged victims.
Kelly has pleaded not guilty to all criminal charges in several cases filed in New York, Illinois, and Minnesota last year (’19).
The prosecutors in New York claim Kelly recruited women and underage girls to have sex with him. He is also charged with bribing an Illinois official to obtain a fake identification for singer Aaliyah, so they could get married when she was 15.
Meanwhile, prosecutors in Chicago have charged Kelly with engaging in sex acts with five minors, threatening his alleged victims, and aggravated sexual abuse. At the same time, Minnesota lawmakers claim he solicited sex from a minor.