R. Kelly's New York Trial Pushed Back

BYAron A.Updated on September 26, 20229.1K Views

In a Brooklyn federal courtroom, R. Kelly appeared via video chat when the judge revealed details surrounding his federal case in New York.

R. Kelly's world has been crumbling ever since Lifetime's Surviving R. Kelly aired in 2019. Since then, the singer has been facing financial and legal problems while the people closest to him began to distance themselves. He's not only facing charges in Chicago but the case of R. Kelly has crossed interstate lines as he's also facing federal charges in New York and state charges in Minnesota.

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Kelly is currently incarcerated in Chicago but it appears as though his fear of flying has prevented him from physically appearing in court in New York and Minnesota. Appearing in a federal Brooklyn courtroom via video chat, the judge in the case revealed that the scheduled trial date has been pushed back. According to PageSix, Judge Ann Donnelly revealed that they will need to get hundreds of potential jurors for the case. Kelly's trial was supposed to start in May but because they expect to pre-screen 500 potential candidates, Donnelly pushed the case until July. Kelly's Illinois trial begins in April which Donnelly stated also played a factor.

"We need to leave enough time to get our jury in place,” the judge said.

Kelly appeared on a screen wearing a short-sleeve, orange jail top and was mainly quiet and attentive throughout the hearing. He previously appeared in the Brooklyn federal court in December where he pleaded not guilty to a bribery charge related to his marriage to Aaliyah.

About The Author

Aron A.

Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.