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Federal prosecutors charged Kelly, 54, with
leading an entourage of managers, bodyguards and others to
recruit women and girls for him to have sex with and abuse, and
to produce pornography, including child pornography.
Kelly has pleaded not guilty to a nine-count indictment that
includes accusations of racketeering, bribery, extortion and
demanding "absolute commitment" from victims, isolating them
from friends and family and requiring they call him "Daddy."
The trial before U.S. District Judge Ann Donnelly begins on Aug.
18 and may last several weeks.
Kelly, whose full name is Robert Sylvester Kelly, has been
jailed for more than two years.
One of his lawyers said last week that Kelly's "funds have been
depleted," and that Kelly needed new clothing for trial because
he had gained weight in jail.
Sexual abuse allegations have dogged Kelly since the 1990s, when
he recorded such hits as "I Believe I Can Fly," for which he won
three Grammy awards, and "Bump n' Grind."
Some allegations were discussed in the 2019 Lifetime documentary
"Surviving R. Kelly."
Hundreds of prospective jurors have completed 22-page
questionnaires aimed at ensuring Kelly gets a fair trial.
The indictment describes Kelly's alleged mistreatment of five
victims, Jane Does #2 through #6, some of whom are expected to
testify. Three were underage at the time of the alleged abuse.
Prosecutors also charged Kelly with bribing an Illinois official
to obtain fake identification for the singer Aaliyah in 1994,
when she was 15 and he was 27, showing her age as 18 so they
could get married secretly.
Donnelly will let prosecutors try to show Kelly and Aaliyah, who
is Jane Doe #1 in the indictment and died in 2001, had sexual
contact.
Prosecutors have said Kelly believed Aaliyah had become pregnant
and got married so she, as his wife, would not have to testify
if he were criminally charged.
Donnelly has said prosecutors can present evidence that Kelly
mistreated other women including audio recordings of Kelly
yelling and physically assaulting women. She also said an
alleged male victim can testify that Kelly sexually abused him.
Kelly has also pleaded not guilty to federal charges in Chicago
of engaging in sex acts with five underage victims and
sex-related charges by state prosecutors in Illinois and
Minnesota.
(Reporting by Brendan Pierson and Jonathan Stempel in New York;
Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
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