Opening arguments in R. Kelly’s long-awaited federal trial started this morning in Brooklyn, New York.
The embattled singer will finally have his day in court to face multiple counts, including racketeering, kidnapping, and sex trafficking of women and girls.
Kelly pleaded not guilty to all of the charges and was previously acquitted for infamous child pornography charges in Illinois in 2008.
The trial is expected to last 6-8 weeks and will not be open to the public or the media due to Covid-19 restrictions.
Judge Ann Donnelly will preside over the trial, including an anonymous jury that was carefully selected last week. The seven men and five women, along with six alternates, will hear prosecutors make the case that Kelly preyed on and abused women and girls who dreamed of stardom for over two decades.
“This case is about a predator,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Maria Cruz Melendez told the jurors as she explained charges Kelly now faces.
The prosecution will also describe Kelly’s “criminal enterprise” that helped him lure his victims in and shielded him from the intense scrutiny he’s now under.
The New York case is only part of the legal challenges facing the 54-year-old singer. He also has pleaded not guilty to sex-related charges in Illinois and Minnesota.
