R. Kelly is So Broke He Can No Longer Afford Court Transcripts, Lawyer Alleges

Once a top-selling R&B icon, now-disgraced singer R. Kelly says he is flat broke and struggling to get by.

On Tuesday, R. Kelly’s attorney Devereaux Cannick, spoke at his federal court hearing in Brooklyn, where he told Judge Ann Donnelly that his client’s finances “are depleted.” In fact, the “I Believe I Can Fly” star cannot even afford daily copies of his court transcripts.

The 54-year-old’s pockets may be looking slim these days, but according to Cannick, Kell’s has picked up quite a few pounds since his incarceration. Cannick argued that his team needs to get the singer’s measurements ahead of trial to get him fitted for “appropriate attire.”

Kelly’s legal team has much bigger fish to fry than some new clothes since it was ruled on Tuesday that prosecutors could detail his relationship with singer Aaliyah during his upcoming sex trafficking trial. They will outline Kelly illegally marrying his protege when she was just 15-years-old.

R. Kelly’s New York trial will begin Monday with jury selection. He still faces sex-crime charges in Chicago and Minneapolis.