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R. Kelly tested positive for COVID-19 in a notorious New York City federal jail, according to a court filing.
The disgraced pop star’s attorneys disclosed the diagnosis in a court filing Tuesday. They asked for more time to file pleadings in his sex trafficking case.
The Metropolitan Detention Center, where Kelly is jailed, recently stopped allowing visitors a barrier to helping him review crucial documents in his post-trial defense, his attorneys argued.
“To complicate matters, Mr. Kelly was advised that he contracted COVID which interfered with his ability to speak with counsel by telephone,” the filing states.
Kelly whose full name is Robert Sylvester Kelly had flown to the top of pop charts with hits such as “Ignition (Remix)” and “I Believe I Can Fly.” But accusations of sexual abuse and misconduct involving young girls and women trailed his superstardom for decades.
Numerous exposés and a documentary series “Surviving R. Kelly” detailed stories from women who said Kelly preyed upon and subjected them to perverse and sadistic whims when they were underage.
The accusations led to a federal criminal trial in New York City, in which prosecutors argued that an entourage of managers and aides who helped Kelly meet girls and keep them obedient and quiet amounted to a criminal enterprise. Kelly was found guilty on nine counts and awaits his May sentencing in an MDC jail cell.
His attorneys also revealed that Kelly recently “made the important decision of parting ways with his trial team.”
