R. Kelly defense to present arguments after prosecutors rest case in child porn trial

CHICAGO — Two days after federal prosecutors rested their case, defense attorneys in R. Kelly’s federal child pornography trial will have their chance to call witnesses and present arguments to the jury starting Thursday.

Attorneys for Kelly and his two co-defendants — his former business manager Derrel McDavid and Milton “June” Brown, a former assistant — have said their cases are likely to conclude by the middle of next week. U.S. District Judge Harry Leinenweber opted to give jurors the day off this Friday in addition to the Labor Day holiday on Monday.

So far, attorneys for Kelly and his co-defendants have pressed government witnesses on alleged inconsistencies between their trial testimony and previous sworn statements they made to law enforcement. Jennifer Bonjean, Kelly’s lead defense attorney, has sought to show jurors that several complaining witnesses in the case were of legal age to consent when they engaged in sex acts with Kelly.

The trial has, so far, featured testimony from several women who’ve said they repeatedly engaged in sex acts with Kelly when they were minors. Among those witnesses was “Jane,” Kelly’s former “goddaughter,” who testified that she was the teen girl seen in the tape at the center of Kelly’s 2008 child pornography trial in Cook County.

Earlier this month, prosecutors played for jurors 17 video clips that, they allege, show Kelly engaging in sex acts with “Jane” while she was a minor. Court staff took extensive measures to ensure the footage was not seen by anyone aside from the judge, attorneys and jury, though the clips’ audio was played throughout the courtroom.

About two dozen supporters of Kelly have observed each day of the trial, held in the larger, ceremonial courtroom on the 25^th floor of the Dirksen Federal Courthouse in the Loop. At prosecutors’ request, Leinenweber has repeatedly admonished those in the courtroom gallery to remain quiet during proceedings. Last week, the US Marshals providing courtroom security were seen escorting two people from the courtroom.A federal grand jury in Chicago indicted Kelly, 55, on 13 counts in July 2019, accusing him of producing and receiving child pornography, while also enticing minors to engage in illegal sexual activity.

Earlier this year, Kelly was sentenced to 30 years in prison by a federal judge in Brooklyn after he was found guilty of racketeering. Along with the ongoing federal case in Chicago, Kelly faces two other pending cases, one in Cook County and another in Minnesota.

McDavid and Brown are charged with one count of conspiracy to receive child pornography. McDavid also faces two counts of receiving child pornography and one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice related to Kelly’s 2008 child pornography trial in Cook County.

Prosecutors allege Kelly and those in his inner circle paid out hundreds of thousands of dollars over the years in an effort to track down video tapes that Kelly made that allegedly show him engaging in sexual activity with underage victims.