R. Kelly seeks to avoid a trip to New York after suffering an injury behind bars.
According to documents obtained by AllHipHop, R. Kelly’s legal team asked a judge if he can appear virtually at an upcoming restitution hearing. The disgraced singer injured his leg, making it difficult for him to travel from Chicago to New York.
“Undersigned counsel writes to respectfully request that Defendant Kelly be permitted to appear via zoom for the September 28th, 2022, restitution hearing,” attorney Ashley Cohen wrote. “Mr. Kelly is currently housed at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Chicago, Illinois. Mr. Kelly has sustained an injury to his leg that makes traveling challenging and uncomfortable.”
Cohen added, “Furthermore, a significant amount of resources would have to be utilized to have Mr. Kelly flown in from Chicago to the Eastern District of New York for this hearing. For the foregoing reasons, Defendant respectfully requests that he be permitted to appear via zoom for the hearing. The government has no objection to this request.”
R. Kelly’s New York court date comes after a judge ordered nearly $28,000 be seized from his inmate commissary account. The money will be used to cover a $900 court fine and restitution for the victims involved in his sex trafficking case.
Earlier this year, R. Kelly was sentenced to 30 years in prison for sex trafficking and racketeering in New York. He will receive more prison time after a Chicago jury found him guilty of producing child pornography and coercing minors into criminal sexual activity on Wednesday (September 14).
The 55-year-old artist was convicted on three counts of child pornography. Each count comes with a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years.
R. Kelly was acquitted of conspiracy to obstruct justice. He also avoided convictions on a fourth count of child pornography, three counts of conspiring to receive child pornography and two counts of child enticement.