R&B singer R. Kelly’s victims have been long awaited for Wednesday’s sentencing in New York, after decades of sexual and physical abuse allegations. But aside from Wednesday’s decision, the former entertainer will remain in grave legal danger – and any jail term he faces could end up adding up.
Kelly is scheduled to stand trial again on August 15 in Chicago, where he faces federal charges for producing child pornography and enticing minors into sexual acts.
It comes 14 years after his first trial in Illinois, a high-profile affair in 2008 where he was acquitted of more than a dozen counts of child pornography.
Now prosecutors say Mr Kelly and two former employees, Derrel McDavid and Milton Brown, tried to manipulate the outcome of the case by paying off witnesses and victims to buy their cooperation. For example, a man received about $170,000 in 2008 to cancel a press conference where he would announce he had video evidence of the singer’s illegal sexual behavior, the indictment said.
Kelly and his two former employees have pleaded not guilty to the charges. Mr. Kelly also faces other state sex crimes charges in Illinois and charges of prostitution with a minor in Minnesota.
The Chicago courthouse scene could be very different from the New York trial where only a few of Mr. Kelly arrived to watch the proceedings. Throughout his career, Mr. Kelly on his deep connections to Chicago, his hometown, and has maintained a significant fan base in the city.
Still, August’s trial isn’t expected to fully reflect the atmosphere surrounding his first case, when Mr. Kelly was invited to perform with children at a church in Chicago the same day he pleaded not guilty to child pornography charges. As he left the courthouse after his acquittal, Mr Kelly greeted a large number of supporters, who cheered, with little reluctance from others in the crowd.
