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In a matter of seconds, the prosecutor inR.
Kellys Brooklynfederal court casepainted a harrowing picture of a musician who used his clout to commit unspeakable sex crimes.
That man, that predator, is the defendant, Robert Sylvester Kelly more commonly known as R. Kelly.
(The Mann Act bans shuttling people across state lines for illegal sexual activity.)
The Feds stated that Kellys racketeering enterprise extended from 1994 until his arrest in 2019.
Prosecutors maintain that Kellys alleged abuse was conducted as an orchestrated criminal enterprise.
The sexual conduct at issue in this case is illegal.
He used every trick in the predators handbook.
As Cruz Melendez detailed allegations against Kelly, 54, he appeared expressionless.
Sometimes he whispered to his attorneys; he could be seen leaning back in his chair at other times.
The first minor Cruz Melendez described in detail was the late singerAaliyah.
She started to work with R. Kelly, then 27.
Shortly thereafter, he engaged in sexual activity with the 15-year-old, Cruz Melendez said.
This created a huge problem for him, Cruz Melendez stated, given that she was a minor.
People would ask questions about her pregnancy, including: Who was the father?
So Kelly and his cronies came up with a plan.
The defendant decided he needed to marry Aaliyah, Cruz Melendez said.
Kelly thought that Aaliyah would not be able to testify against him if she were his wife.
He flew back to Chicago in the middle of the night.
Aaliyah was waiting for him at an airport hotel.
They had a meeting.
His tour manager paid a clerk, whom he knew, $500 to get this fake ID.
Sonya was allegedly escorted to a small room.
She soon discovered that the room was locked, Cruz Melendez said.
Sonya fell immediately asleep.
It was clear to Sonya that she had been sexually assaulted, Cruz Melendez said.
Becker also claimed that Kelly wasnt shuttling people across state lines for illicit sex.
She described him as a man that had a very, very busy schedule.
These were individuals who knew what they were getting into.
Becker also slipped up when explaining how the evidence she would present about his relationships would prove his innocence.
So, she argued, urinating in a bucket or a bus wouldnt be bizarre.
Does that [seem] like what might happen in your vehicle when you drive on a long vacation?
You ultimately will have to find Mr. Kelly guilty excuse me, not guilty, she said.
At one point during Beckers two-hour opening, Kelly actually appeared to doze off.
Pace met Kelly when she was just 14 years old, athis 2008 child pornography trialin Chicago.
An avid fan she was in an R. Kelly MySpace fan club she went to court on multiple days.
She started talking to him.
He would just speak to me.
He would just say hi to me.
He said, Thank you for your support, Pace said.
I said it was my birthday coming up.
He said, Happy early birthday.
Pace had told him that she was 19.
When she was fully nude, she continued, Kelly grabbed Pace and started kissing her.
He then picked her up and took her into the game room.
There, he performed oral sex on her, Pace said.
I felt uncomfortable, and I told him I was actually 16, she said.
And to continue to tell everyone I was 19 and to act 21.
Pace told him that she was a virgin.
He told me that he was going to train me on how to yo him sexually, she said.
He recorded us having sexual intercourse, she said.
He wanted me to put my hair up in pigtails and dress like a Girl Scout.
Pace made the shocking claim when prosecutors questioned her about whether Kelly made any requests during sexual encounters.
He spit in my face and in my mouth.
He choked me during an argument.
I had sex with him.
I had oral sex with him.
I became fed up with him.
I went home and confessed, she said, without specifying to whom she confessed.
This is a developing story and will be updated accordingly.
