Prosecutors Seek New Charges For New Evidence In R. Kelly Racketeering Case

Throw the book at him!

Source: Tim Mosenfelder / Getty

Page Six reports that the criminal charges against disgraced singer R. Kelly could be stacked even higher Federal prosecutors in New York add new evidence and accusations to his ongoing trial. He is currently facing federal charges in both Chicago in New York since he was arrested in the summer of 2019 for several charges including racketeering, sex trafficking, kidnapping, and child pornography. On Friday, Prosecutors petitioned the court to admit new evidence of vile acts not yet included in his criminal charges.

According to the court filing, the newly discovered allegations are “directly relevant to and inextricably intertwined with the evidence of the charged crimes.” In 2006, Kelly allegedly met a 17-year-old boy, identified as John Doe #1, at a Chicago McDonald’s and sexually abused him after asking what he would do to succeed in the music business. The filing claims that John Doe #1 intruduced Kelly to another teenaged boy, John Doe #2, whom Kelly allegedly had a sexual relationship with and forced his girlfriends to have sex with on camera. The filing references at least 19 John Does.

In addition to new victims of abuse, prosecutors want the court to consider Kelly’s marriage to the late R&B superstar Aaliyah when she was only 15 years old and using a fake ID to obtain a marriage license in her name so she could not be forced to testify against him. The new evidence also includes a recording recovered from Kelly’s phone that reportedly captured the singer and his crisis manager discussing details of allegedly bribing a Cook County clerk. Following the groundbreaking Surviving R. Kelly docuseries, Kelly and his team were said to offer money in exchange for insider information about pending legal consequences from dozens of victims coming forward with stories of sex trafficking and abuse.

While awaiting trial at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, Kelly has repeatedly tried to secure bail, but was denied each time because he was considered a susbstantial flight risk. Kelly and his recently reassembled legal team  are scheduled to a appear back in court on  August 18, 2021.