Roommates, the legal battles for R. Kelly aren’t quite over just yet. Although he was found guilty of racketeering charges in New York on September 27th and his sentencing awaits, he is heading back to court next year. If you recall, “The Piped Piper” faces charges in his hometown of Chicago for child pornography and obstruction of justice charges.
According to The Chicago Tribune, Judge Harry Leinenweber has set a trial date of August 1, 2022. Kelly won’t be in the courthouse alone. His longtime associates and co-defendants, Derrel McDavid and Milton “June” Brown will also be there. Reports state that if the Chicago federal case does make it to trial, it will likely focus on the graphic videotapes Kelly allegedly made that depicted him having sex with at least three female minors, according to court records.
Back in July 2019, a 13-count indictment filed alleged that Kelly, alone and through his associates, paid hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash, gifts, and legal settlements to attempt to purchase copies of the sex tapes ahead of investigators. While Kelly is fighting for his life and maintains his innocence, he is having an interesting experience behind bars. His attorney Steve Greenberg said the U.S. Bureau of Prisons had previously placed Kelly on suicide watch for some time. However, the watch has been lifted.
Inmates being placed on suicide watch isn’t uncommon. Reports state that recently convicted prisoners being placed on increased monitoring is typical in the federal prison system. Attorney Greenberg did clarify that Kelly hadn’t expressed the desire to harm himself. Kelly’s 2022 trial will be held at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse and is expected to last three or four weeks. He is currently facing a minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum of 20 years behind bars.
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