Lawyers on either side of the federal case against R. Kelly in Chicago will no longer be able to talk about the evidence to the media or public.
U.S. District Judge Harry Leinenweber made the decision on Wednesday, and he explained the order was mainly to protect the accusers’ privacy. Plus, he doesn’t want the case to be “tried in the public domain.”
On July 11, Kelly received a 13-count federal indictment out of the Northern District of Illinois that include charges of child pornography and obstruction of justice. He was also hit with a five-count indictment from the Eastern District of New York.
Those charges are on top of the 21 sexual abuse charges Kelly is facing against the state of Illinois.
The first of those came down soon after the Lifetime docuseries “Surviving R. Kelly” aired, which showed some of his accusers giving their accounts.
But federal prosecutor Angel Krull said of all the accusers — some who were underage when they said the alleged crimes took place — only one of them has spoken publicly, and their privacy should be maintained.
But Kelly’s defense team argued against the order and said if granted it wouldn’t allow them to contest inaccurate statements made to the public or media about the case.
Kelly is still being held behind bars at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Chicago, after a judge denied his bond last month.
On Friday the 52-year-old is scheduled to appear in a New York federal court, where he will be arraigned on the five-count indictment that includes charges of transporting for prostitution, coercion or enticement to engage in criminal sexual activity, and racketeering.
Kelly’s lawyer said he’s being held in solitary confinement in the Chicago jail, because it’s the safest place for him to be.
