Singer R. Kelly has about two weeks until jury selection starts in his federal racketeering trial in New York City. Now, federal prosecutors are asking the judge to admit evidence of other alleged misdeeds that were no in the charging documents of the rhythm and blues singer.
The federal court filing provides details from a witness who said Kelly asked her to buy child pornography involving underage boys. Additional evidence shows a video of physical abuse and threats that the singer used to keep control over girls and women with whom he had sex.
There also will be evidence presented of bribes that were made on his behalf to various state and county employees. These bribes were intended to obtain fake IDs for underage boys and girls.
Last week, federal prosecutors asked the judge who will preside over the August trial to allow evidence that suggests Kelly was involved in these other alleged crimes. They noted that the evidence of these new crimes is related to the racketeering crimes he allegedly committed.
Additional criminal charges in the document include several episodes of sexual abuse of females under 18 as well as sexual abuse of a male under 18. He could get more than a decade in prison for each of those sex charges.
In the federal case in Brooklyn, the singer faces sex trafficking and racketeering charges, among several others. He has pleaded not guilty and jury selection starts Aug. 9.
Allegations of Threats and Bribery
One of the bribes that are mentioned in the filing involves paying a state employee $500 to make an ID card so a 15-year-old girl would look to be 18 when Kelly married her in August 1994.
A source that knows about the matter told the media that the minor is the deceased singer Aaliyah, who was married to Kelly in 1994. Federal prosecutors stated in the court filing shows the marriage certificate that indicates the woman was 15 years old when she married him in August 1994.
Aaliyah passed away in 2001.
Another potential bribe in the filing took place in the 1990s. Federal prosecutors said they have a February 2019 phone recording between a crisis manager and Kelly that occurred after the release of the Surviving R. Kelly docuseries.
Prosecutors say in the conversation that Kelly told the manager to learn what he should pay the bailiff. They also say later that the manager informed Kelly to pay a worker in Cook County IL $2500 to buy a burner phone so the manager could get information about Kelly’s legal problems.
One Witness May Testify That Kelly Directed Her To Find Child Pornography
Federal prosecutors say, if possible, one witness will testify that the singer told her to find child porn showing boys. The filing says that several videos were received from a device that was found during a search of the singer’s home that back up the testimony. But court documents say that the government cannot confirm the ages or identity of the people in those videos.
Prosecutors also are requesting that recordings be admitted that show abuse and threats of several women to show the abuse that Kelly used to keep control over girls and women he was having sex with. One recording was taken by a camera that was placed in a bedroom.
Kelly Also May Have Abused A Teenager He Met In McDonald’s In 2006
Another charge just came to light in July, right before the August trial is set to start. The accusation is that R. Kelly sexually abused a teenaged boy in 2006 that he met in McDonald’s.
Federal charging documents state that Kelly met the 17-year-old in 2006, and invited him to a party at his house in Chicago. The child was accompanied by his parents, but Kelly told the boy to come by alone next time. That’s when things allegedly turned sexual.
The federal agents on the case said when they were alone at Kelly’s home, the singer began to sexually abuse him. Prosecutors also say the 17-year-old introduced Kelly to another underage male, and the singer tried to abuse him, too.
It was not until years after these events happened that a relationship occurred between the second abused minor and Kelly. The feds say Kelly did start a relationship with the boy when he was underage, but he would tell the young man to have sex with women with whom Kelly was associated. He also allegedly filmed many of those sexual encounters.
Kelly also has legal trouble in several states, but the federal racketeering case combined with the sex charges seems to be what will begin first. Kelly has been provided more time to obtain new attorneys as much of his old legal team left after the sex charges came to light.