Judge denies R. Kelly a new trial on child pornography charges

R. Kelly has lost his plea to have a Chicago court overturn its guilty verdict on his 2022 child pornography trial, with judge Henry D. Leinenweber ruling that federal prosecutors offered “enough evidence to sustain a guilty verdict on all six counts Kelly was convicted of”.

As reported by Billboard, motions filed by Kelly’s lawyers were shut down by Leinenweber on Thursday (February 16). They’d argued that one of the disgraced artist’s victims (who was kept anonymous throughout the trial) lied about her plans to seek financial restitution is Kelly was to be convicted. According to the publication, the woman known to the court as Jane Doe was “motivat[ed] to share her story in ways that were not entirely honest”.

Leinenweber refused to humour the potential of bad faith, reportedly saying in refutation: “Simply because Jane and her attorney considered the possibility of restitution, does not mean she lied during her testimony.”

Last September, Kelly was found guilty on three counts of owning or producing child pornography, and three counts of enticing a minor. It followed a separate ruling from last June, where in New York, Kelly was found guilty on charges of racketeering and sex trafficking; he was sentenced to 30 years in prison.

Sentencing for Kelly’s Chicago case is slated for February 23; he faces up to 90 years in prison based on those convictions alone.

Meanwhile, it was reported last month that Illinois would drop charges against Kelly in Cook County due to the “extensive sentences” he’s already serving in New York.