R. Kelly’s lawyers are arguing against federal prosecutors’ request to use additional allegations in the singer’s upcoming sex trafficking trial in Brooklyn.
The new allegations that prosecutors are requesting a judge’s permission to discuss in court include the sexual abuse of minors, unlawful imprisonment, bribery and physical abuse. The new allegations reportedly include those of Kelly sexually abusing a 17-year-old boy, teenage girls and women as far back as 1991, and having a fake ID made for Aaliyah in 1994—when she was 15—because he thought she was pregnant with his child and “she could not then be forced to testify against him in court.”
But now, Kelly’s lawyers Thomas Farinella and Nicole Becker are arguing that the latest request is “unequivocally inadmissible under the Federal Rules of Evidence” and that it would violate his constitutional rights and right to a fair trial.
“The government’s request is untimely, not relevant and if permitted will cause severe prejudice to Mr. Kelly of which such prejudice outweighs the probative value,” a filing states, according to the Chicago Sun Times.
The allegations regarding the 17-year-old boy claim that the singer had sexual encounters with him and directed him to do the same with others. Beyond these that prosecutors are pushing to discuss, with the charges against him in both New York and Illinois, the singer is facing a total of 22 federal criminal charges. The indictment in Brooklyn alleges that he had an “enterprise” of affiliates who would recruit women and girls.
Kelly’s lawyers also noted, according to TMZ, that potential jurors have already been given questionnaires and that they are “void of a single question about their opinions or feelings on same-sex relationships.” So if allegations regarding a possible male victim enter the courtroom, his lawyers reportedly claim it would be unfair.
