R. Kelly’s Trial Postponed Until August Due To COVID-19

R. Kelly’s trial on charges of racketeering and sex trafficking has been postponed again because of the coronavirus pandemic, a judge said Tuesday.

“We are scheduled for an April trial date but I suspect it’s not going to come as a surprise that that is not a date that is going to work given the current conditions,” Brooklyn federal Judge Ann Donnelly said during a hearing held by phone, setting a new trial date of Aug. 9.

Donnelly listed the slew of roadblocks that the pandemic would present for an April trial, including that people traveling to New York from out of state have to quarantine and be tested, that most jurors would have to take public transportation to and from court, and that the R&B singer would have to be moved to a Brooklyn lockup that is currently facing a COVID-19 outbreak.

Donnelly said she also believed that court staff weren’t currently being prioritized for vaccination.

The “I Believe I Can Fly” crooner’s case has been postponed three prior times during the pandemic.

Kelly — whose given name is Robert Sylvester Kelly — also faces a trial in Illinois on charges of creating and possessing child pornography. The trial in that case is tentatively set for September.

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