- Title: Jury selection set to begin in singer R. Kelly's sex abuse trial
- Date: 9th August 2021
- Summary: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (FILE - NOVEMBER 24, 2013) (UNRESTRICTED POOL) ***WARNING: CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** VARIOUS OF R. KELLY AT AMERICAN MUSIC AWARDS ARRIVALS
- Embargoed: 23rd August 2021 16:56
- Keywords: R Kelly court sex abuse trial singer trial
- Location: CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, NEW YORK, NEW YORK, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA AND LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, UNITED STATES
- City: CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, NEW YORK, NEW YORK, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA AND LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, UNITED STATES
- Country: USA
- Topics: Crime/Law/Justice,United States
- Reuters ID: LVA004EPK7I9Z
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Jury selection is set to begin in Brooklyn on Monday (August 9) in the sex abuse trial of singer R. Kelly.
The singer is accused of racketeering, sexual abuse, and bribery charges. His trial is scheduled to begin on Monday in federal court.
Prosecutors said the 54-year-old Kelly, known for such hits as "I Believe I Can Fly," ran a criminal scheme in which women and underage girls were recruited to have sexual activity with him.
They have alleged he bribed an Illinois official in 1994 to obtain false identification for singer Aaliyah, who was then 15 years old, so they could get married. Aaliyah died in a plane crash in the Bahamas in 2001. Kelly faces separate criminal charges in Illinois and Minnesota.
The Grammy Award-winning singer has pleaded not guilty to all criminal charges in cases filed in New York, Illinois, and Minnesota, and has been held without bail for nearly two years.
The allegations against Kelly date back more than two decades and were featured in a 2019 documentary, "Surviving R. Kelly."
(Production: Jane Ross) - Copyright Holder: POOL (CAN SELL)
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