R. Kelly will have to wait until August to defend himself in his New York racketeering and sex trafficking trial following another delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The “Ignition (Remix)” hitmaker, real name Robert Kelly, had been gearing up to head to court this April, with jury selection expected to begin in March, but on Tuesday (February 9th), Brooklyn federal Judge Ann Donnelly decided to postpone the trial until August 9th.
“We are scheduled for an April trial date but I suspect it’s not going to come as a surprise that that is not a date that is going to work given the current conditions,” the judge told the prosecution and defense teams in a phone hearing, according to the New York Post.
Among the issues faced include testing and quarantining for those traveling to the Big Apple from out of state, the use of public transportation for potential jurors, and the fact that Kelly would have to be moved from his current jail in Illinois – where he is facing child pornography charges – to one in Brooklyn, which is currently experiencing a coronavirus outbreak.
It’s the latest delay in the musician’s case, which had already been postponed three times as a result of the COVID crisis.
Kelly, who has been behind bars since 2019, stands accused of grooming underage girls attending his concerts for sexual abuse.
He is also currently scheduled to stand trial for his child pornography charges in September.
He has pleaded not guilty to all counts.
