| R.Kelly Trial in EDNY Pushed
Back From July Amid Coronavirus Bail Bid Jury
Questionnaire
By Matthew
Russell Lee, Patreon
BBC
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FEDERAL
COURTHOUSE, April 16 –
There was an
R.Kelly status conference amid
the COVID-19 pandemic on April
16 before U.S. District Court
for the Eastern District of
New York Judge Ann M.
Donnelly. Inner City
Press live tweeted it, here.
More on Patreon here.
There was an indefinitely
postponement, but for a
September jury questionnaire,
of R.Kelly's previously
scheduled July 7 EDNY trial on
charges of racketeering,
sexual exploitation of a
child, bribery, kidnapping and
forced labor.
Judge Donnelly asks if R.Kelly
had waived his appearance. His
lawyer responded that he spoke
to Mr. Kelly who was
"despondent."
Judge
Donnelly replied, Let's keep
it simple. Did he waive his
appearance? The
defense lawyer said, Yes.
Judge Donnelly said, I think a
July trial is unlikely.
A lawyer
mused that even if the economy
is re-opened, it is
questionable if people are
going to be willing to serve
on juries.
Judge
Donnelly pointed out, Mr.
Kelly has to be arraigned on
new charges, by video... I
don't want to step on anyone's
toes out in Chicago. What
about April 30? What about
questionnaires on September
14? The defense lawyers don't
necessarily have to
come.
R.Kelly's lawyer
emphasized, We want the New
York case to go first.
Judge Donnelly continued, So
two weeks after the
questionnaire.
Lawyer: The 28th is Yom
Kippur. So let's do 29th.
Judge Donnelly asked, Why have
you made your bail application
to me, when it's about
Illinois? I've asked the US to
respond. But I'm curious.
R.Kelly's
lawyer quickly said, We could
re-file it in Illinois. We
didn't want him to be released
in Chicago and then for you to
jail him.
Judge
Donnelly said, That could
happen.
[In
fairness to some online
replies, the reality is if any
defendant is subject to two
judges' or jurisdictions'
detention orders, if the first
orders release, the defendant
would still be arrested on the
second order unless it is
removed.]
Judge Donnelly continued,
Anyway, I've asked the
government to respond. Let's
just go forward. Anything else
we need to do today?
Counselor
Greenberg said, You mentioned
April 30 for arraignment by
video, but they're not
bringing anyone to the court
in Chicago.
Judge Donnelly said, Here in
New York, they're setting up
video arraignments. I'll look
into it. Stay safe and talk to
y'all soon. And that was it.
Inner City Press will continue
to follow and report on the
case. It is US v. Robert
Sylvester Kelly, a/k/a R.
Kelly, EDNY Docket No.
19-cr-286 (AMD). More on Patreon here.
***
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