R. Kelly has another legal problem on his hands. Apparently, there are accusations that he groomed and molested a 17-year-old boy.
The singer doesn’t want federal prosecutors to have a chance at proving he had sex with the boy because he feels like the jury might be homophobic and could take it out on him, TMZ reported.
Kelly’s legal team wants the recently submitted new evidence against their client thrown out.
Prosecutors dropped a bombshell ahead of Kelly’s Chicago case, which is one of many. They are accusing him of bribery and starting a relationship with a male minor in the mid-2000s; after they met at McDonald’s, Kelly took him under his wing.
But that’s not the only male coming forward against the singer. Another 17-year-old boy told authorities that he met with Kelly, but their sexual encounters didn’t happen until years later.
Kelly’s legal team—attorneys Thomas A. Farinella and Nicole Blank Becker— believes the news shouldn’t be allowed in court, saying the revelations are timeliness (or a lack thereof), ongoing anonymity, purpose, and jury selection as their main concerns for why this stuff shouldn’t be heard, TMZ reported.
The concerns about the jury are interesting, considering his attorneys feel there may or may not be a bias on same-sex relationships. The jury questionnaire is already filed and submitted, which Kelly’s attorneys say is problematic.
They argue the questionnaires are “void of a single question about their opinions or feelings on same-sex relationships.” Kelly’s attorneys think it is important since that could end with biased jurors on the panel who may decide unfavorably against Kelly simply due to the new allegations that R. Kelly is gay or bisexual.
