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One of Kelly's lawyers, Douglas Anton, entered
the plea to charges of racketeering and sex trafficking before
Magistrate Judge Steven Tiscione in federal court in Brooklyn.
Kelly, dressed in blue and orange jail clothes, greeted the
judge and answered "yes" when asked if he understood his rights.
He was otherwise silent.
The audience in the packed courtroom included more than a dozen
supporters of Kelly, one of whom wore a T-shirt that said "Free
R. Kelly," and two live-in girlfriends, Joycelyn Savage and
Azriel Clary.
After the hearing, Anton told reporters outside the courthouse
that Kelly was "irritated" and "not a happy person" since his
arrest.
"Imagine that you're an innocent person and you're locked up in
prison," the attorney said.
Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn say Kelly and his entourage
invited women and girls backstage after concerts, kept them from
friends and family and made them dependent on him financially.
Anton had said in a court filing on Wednesday that Kelly's fans
were "dying to be with him" and that the charges amounted to
"groupie remorse."
Gloria Allred, a lawyer who represents some of the victims and
has gained fame as an advocate for women, on Friday called the
filing "inaccurate and hurtful."
"They are not groupies," she said outside the courthouse. "They
are instead brave victims who are seeking justice."
The 52-year-old R&B singer known for such hits as “I Believe I
Can Fly” and “Bump N’ Grind,” was arrested in Chicago last month
on the Brooklyn charges and a separate set of charges brought by
federal prosecutors in Chicago.
The charges were brought after seven women including his
ex-wife, appeared on a Lifetime network television documentary
which aired in January and accused him of emotional and sexual
abuse.
The singer has denied abuse allegations for decades. In 2008, he
was tried on child pornography charges and found not guilty.
Chicago prosecutors said Kelly had sexual contact with five
minors and recorded sexually explicit videos of some of them.
They also accused Kelly of obstructing justice by using threats
and bribes, including payments of hundreds of thousands of
dollars, to keep his victims quiet.
Kelly has pleaded not guilty to those charges. A judge in
Chicago ordered that he remain jailed while he awaits trial.
In addition to the two federal cases, Kelly was charged with 10
counts of aggravated sexual abuse in a Cook County, Illinois
state court in February. The Cook County prosecutors have
accused Kelly of abusing a victim between the ages of 13 and 16
between May 2009 and January 2010.
Kelly pleaded not guilty to the state charges.
Kelly faces a maximum prison sentence of more than 200 years if
convicted of all the charges pending against him.
(Reporting By Brendan Pierson in New York; Editing by Noeleen
Walder, Grant McCool and Jonathan Oatis)
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