NEW YORK (AP) – A federal judge on Thursday gave the green light to move the prison of R&B singer R. Kelly to New York City to trial this summer after several delays.
Kelly was detained in Chicago, where he faces a second trial in the fall in a separate federal case related to an extensive investigation into sex crimes.
The trial in the federal court in Brooklyn has been postponed due to the pandemic. But during a virtual trial, U.S. District Judge Ann Donnelly told attorneys that there are protections in court that will allow it to finally proceed on August 9th.
The judge also said the government should begin preparations to move Kelly to a New York prison, most likely the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. The exact timing was unclear.
Prosecutors in Brooklyn allege that Kelly ran a business consisting of his managers, bodyguards and other employees who helped him recruit women and girls for sex. A jury is expected to hear testimony from alleged victims, each of whom is identified in court documents only as “Jane Doe”.
Kelly denied the allegations about sex trafficking. One of his attorneys, Steve Greenberg, said Thursday his client is looking forward to the trial.