R. Kelly’s new lawyer in his Brooklyn based racketeering charge is using all possible legal remedies to get the humbled singer out of prison. Kelly, 54, was convicted on September 27, 2021 in the U.S. District Court in Brooklyn on racketeering conspiracy charges alleging he used his music career to further a criminal enterprise. His new lawyer wants that conviction thrown out. The new R. Kelly lawyer asks for new trial and requested that the first conviction be overturned.
The jury found R. Kelly guilty of 12 different illegal acts as part of the R. Kelly racketeering conviction back in September, including sex with multiple underage girls as well as a 1994 scheme to bribe an Illinois public official to get a phony ID for 15-year-old Aaliyah, so the two could get married.
Kelly’s new attorney, Jennifer Bonjean, was Bill Cosby’s attorney for his appeal, which led to Cosby being released from prison. Bonjean argued in her motion that Kelly’s previous attorney was incompetent to a detriment. She argues that at least one juror admitted to seeing the Surviving R. Kelly documentary, which was released in 2019, and that alone should have disqualified that juror, because there was no way they could be impartial.
Bonjean originally filed the motion in February, but submitted an updated motion to the court on Monday (March 21st), after prosecutors submitted a 104 page response to her request to overturn the conviction.
Bonjean has also suggested that R. Kelly should have never been charged with racketeering at all, which was a unique charge.
Racketeering is defined as the act of acquiring a business through illegal activity, operating a business with illegally-derived income, or using a business to commit illegal acts.
Historically the racketeering charge is reserved for mob bosses, gang leaders or folks running drug cartels.
Just the fact that the new R. Kelly lawyer asks for new trial and for the conviction to be overturned is a bit of a hail mary on her part. While it would be a bit of a stretch for U.S. District Judge Ann Donnelly to over turn the conviction outright, the move by Bonjean helps her set up her appeal, regardless of the judges decision.
The R. Kelly sentencing is scheduled for May 4th. He faces 10 years to life in prison. Kelly has been imprisoned since July 2019, so any sentencing would have to recognize time served.
Bonjean can also try to delay sentencing if the judge feels like these considerations give her a strong chance at the appeal.
Even if Bonjean is successful with these federal racketeering charges, he also has federal coercion charges in Chicago and another sexual abuse Chicago indictment as well.
R. Kelly has pleaded not guilty to all the charges against him.
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