R. Kelly’s second federal trial will be delayed two weeks, a federal judge in Chicago announced Tuesday, since the ceremonial courtroom large enough to accommodate a multiple-defendant trial in the COVID era will not be available until mid-August.
Jury selection for Kelly and two of his former associates is now slated to begin Aug. 15. Federal prosecutors in the Northern District of Illinois allege that they conspired to rig Kelly’s 2008 child pornography case and hide years of alleged sexual abuse of underage girls.
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The large ceremonial courtroom on the 25th Floor of the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse has been in high demand during the pandemic. The Kelly trial’s schedule change also means that the September trial for four people charged in the ComEd bribery scandal has been canceled, since both trials needed the bigger courtroom due to spacing issues. The ComEd-related trial may not begin until next year.
Judge Harry Leinenweber also said at a hearing for Kelly’s case Tuesday that authorities will seek a special panel of potential jurors who would be available for a longer trial. The proceedings for Kelly, Derrel McDavid and Milton “June” Brown are scheduled to last at least four weeks.
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—Kelly, meanwhile, is scheduled for sentencing in federal court in Brooklyn next week. He was convicted there last year on racketeering conspiracy and eight other counts alleging the singer used his organization to lure and trap girls, boys and young women to satisfy his predatory desires.
Federal prosecutors in the Eastern District of New York proposed he be sentenced to more than 25 years; his attorney Jennifer Bonjean, however, argues he should be given the minimum 10 years.
In addition to the separate federal cases in New York and Chicago, Kelly also faces charges of sexual assault and abuse in Cook County and a solicitation case in state court in Minnesota.
mcrepeau@chicagotribune.com
jmeisner@chicagotribune.com
