Thursday, March 28, 2024

R. Kelly: Judge Rules Jury Will be Anonymous in New York Trial


*A judge has ruled that R. Kelly’s federal sex trafficking case in Brooklyn will be heard by an anonymous jury. 

“Empaneling an anonymous jury is appropriate given the seriousness of the charges, the defendant’s history of obstructing the judicial process, the potential for juror intimidation and the intensity of media attention given to this case,” US District Judge Ann M. Donnelly wrote in her ruling, MSN reports. 

Kelly has been in custody at Chicago’s Metropolitan Correctional Center for over a year awaiting trail for various sex crimes, including child pornography. In New York City, he faces multiple federal racketeering and sex trafficking charges. Kelly has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

The singer’s attorney, Steve Greenberg, called for his release in August after he was attacked by a fellow inmate. 

“Yesterday we were told that an inmate had attacked R. Kelly at the MCC in Chicago,” Greenberg tweeted at the time. “We received conflicting reports as to the extent of his injuries. We have not been provided any information from the jail, nor has Mr. Kelly called. We are hopeful that he was not seriously injured.”

READ MORE: R. Kelly’s Latest Request for Release Denied After Alleged Beating in Lockdown

R Kelly - jail orange in court
R. Kelly (Getty)

Greenberg said release of his client was vital for his own safety.  

“Regardless, it is time to release Mr. Kelly. The government cannot ensure his safety, and they cannot give him his day in court. We should not incarcerate people indefinitely because we cannot provide them with due process,” Greenberg added.

Last month, a judge shot down Kelly’s bid to get out of the slammer. Earlier this year, a judge also denied his request for release over coronavirus concerns.

Meanwhile, Kelly’s attorneys disagree with Donnelly’s anonymous jurors ruling, noting that it would limit their ability to question potential jurors.

Judge Donnelly wrote that she was “unpersuaded” by the defense’s argument to run “what amounts to background checks” on them.

The judge also cited the possibility that “social media will become a tool for the harassment and intimidation of the jurors should their identities be made public.”

Greenberg previously told CNN that the “idea that R. Kelly is going to do anything while his case is pending to intimidate jurors or threaten jurors like some 1950s mobster is ludicrous.”

“I’ve done cases with anonymous juries,” Greenberg said in July. “But we, as his lawyers, should certainly know where the jurors are from, what they do for a living. The idea of jury selection is that you have some idea of whom you’re selecting.”

Kelly’s trial has been delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. 

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