The infamous pied piper of R&B known for songs like “I believe I can fly” was presented in the NY court on Tuesday, just days before his sex abuse trial was to begin.
The singer was accused of racketeering, sexual abuse and bribery charges. His trial is said to begin on Monday in the Federal court in Brooklyn.
The prosecutor in Kelly’s case said that the singer ran a criminal scheme where women and underage girls were rounded up to have sexual activity with him.
The singer is allegedly said to have bribed an Illinois official in 1994 in order to acquire false identification for singer Aaliyah, who at the time was only aged 15 years old, so they could get married. However, Aaliyah died in 2001 in a plane crash during a trip to the Bahamas. Kelly is said to face separate criminal charges in Illinois and Minnesota.
The “step in the name of love” singer has pleaded not guilty to all charges in cases filed in New York, Illinois and Minnesota, and has been held without bail for nearly two years.
The allegations against Kelly date back more than two decades and were featured in a 2019 documentary, “Surviving R. Kelly.” – Reuters
