R Kelly Trial: What You Need To Know

BROOKLYN, NEW YORK — R. Kelly, a Grammy award-winning artist whose decades-long career has been haunted by allegations of sexual encounters with underage girls, will stand trial in Brooklyn's Federal Court this Wednesday.

Robert Sylvester Kelly, 54, stands accused of abusing 22 victims who were lured into the megastar's orbit, dominated and abused by the R & B singer, prosecutors contend.

“The enterprise at the direction of R. Kelly preyed upon young women and teenagers whose dreams of meeting a superstar, soon turned into a nightmare of rape, child pornography and forced labor," said Special Agent Angel Melendez when Kelly was indicted in 2019.

"R. Kelly believed he could fly, but it will be justice to see his oppressive wings clipped."

The singer has pleaded his innocence of all charges.

Patch will be reporting on the trial as it progresses over the next several weeks. Until then, here's what you need to know.

What are the charges against R. Kelly?

Kelly is charged with sex trafficking and racketeering for allegedly exploiting his status as a famous R & B singer to lure in and abuse young fans.

Prosecutors contend Kelly's entourage would court girls during his concerts, then isolate them from their families and take over their lives.

Kelly's alleged victims were forced to call him “Daddy,” request permission to eat or use the bathroom, and wear baggy clothing when not in his company, prosecutors said.

Federal prosecutors filed charges on behalf of 20 anonymous women and two anonymous men, records show.

These are not the first allegations Kelly had faced that involved under-age girls. In 1994, the singer notoriously married a 15-year-old Aaliyah.

In 2002, Kelly was arrested on pornography charges linked to video of the singer allegedly having sex with, and urinating on, a minor.

A Chicago jury found him not guilty.

When and where will the trial take place?

Kelly's trial begins Wednesday, Aug. 18, at 9:30 a.m. in the Eastern District of New York in the courtroom of Judge Ann M. Donnelly.

Who's expected to testify?

One witness is expected to testify that Kelly's first sexual encounter with Aaliyah, who died in a plane crash in 2001, occurred when the pop icon was 13, court records show.

An attorney on Kelly's defense team appeared to concede this allegation as fact, but this statement has since backtracked.

Another alleged survivor is expected to testify that he was a minor when he and Kelly, who initially offered to help him navigate the music industry, had sexual contact, Newsweek reported.

Why New York City?

Brooklyn federal prosecutors and the NYPD launched the investigation and found evidence Kelly allegedly transported a person to New York for sex, in violation of the Mann Act.

Kelly and his entourage allegedly ran their racketeering and sex trafficking operation in New York, Illinois, Connecticut and California, among other states.

Their investigation began shortly after BuzzFeed published a groundbreaking article on the young women who had been lured into what the news outlet called an "R&B’s ‘Cult’.”

About the same time, a social media movement began online called #MuteRKelly.

What sentence could he face if found guilty?

Kelly could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted. Kelly also faces federal charges of child sex abuse in Chicago.