| EDNY Says Inmate on R.Kelly
Floor Tests Positive For COVID in Chicago
By Matthew
Russell Lee, Patreon
BBC
- Decrypt
- LightRead - Honduras
-
Source
FEDERAL
COURTHOUSE, April 21 – There
was an R.Kelly status
conference amid the COVID-19
pandemic on April 16 before
U.S. District Court for the
Eastern District of New York
Judge Ann M. Donnelly.
Inner City Press live tweeted
it, here.
More on Patreon here.
Now on
April 21, the prosecutors have
written to Judge Donnelly:
"Re: United States v. Robert
Sylvester Kelly Criminal
Docket No. 19-286 (S-3)
(AMD)
Dear Judge
Donnelly: On April
20, 2020, counsel for the
defendant Robert Kelly filed a
letter with the Court
indicating that he had been
advised the night before that
an inmate on the defendant’s
floor “had tested positive for
Covid 19 and been taken to the
hospital.” ECF Docket
No. 59. The letter
further indicated that
“counsel had reached out to
the correctional center this
morning to verify this
information but as of yet have
not heard back.”
Id. Following receipt of
defense counsel’s letter, the
government forwarded the
letter to legal counsel for
the Metropolitan Correctional
Center in Chicago, Illinois
(“MCC Chicago”) and sought
confirmation regarding whether
the information in the letter
was accurate. Yesterday,
legal counsel for MCC Chicago
confirmed that an inmate on
the defendant’s floor had been
taken to the hospital and
tested positive for COVID-19."
again opposed any
release for R.Kelly (amid the
release, for example, Tekashi
#6ix9ine), stating "it is
disingenuous for the defendant
to suggest that he has “no
means to go anywhere.” (Mot.
at 3). He continues to have a
significant network of
individuals available to
assist him. Indeed, many of
those individuals attempt to
do the defendant’s bidding by
regularly posting and
appearing in videos on the
internet and publishing on
social media in support of the
defendant and overtly trying
to intimidate the defendant’s
accusers. Moreover, the
defendant still has the
financial means to flea and
commit obstruction. In the
first quarter of 2020 alone,
the defendant received over
$200,000 in royalty proceeds."
There was an indefinitely
postponement, but for a
September jury questionnaire,
of R.Kelly's previously
scheduled July 7 EDNY trial on
charges of racketeering,
sexual exploitation of a
child, bribery, kidnapping and
forced labor.
Judge Donnelly asks if R.Kelly
had waived his appearance. His
lawyer responded that he spoke
to Mr. Kelly who was
"despondent."
Judge
Donnelly replied, Let's keep
it simple. Did he waive his
appearance? The
defense lawyer said, Yes.
Judge Donnelly said, I think a
July trial is unlikely.
A lawyer
mused that even if the economy
is re-opened, it is
questionable if people are
going to be willing to serve
on juries.
Judge
Donnelly pointed out, Mr.
Kelly has to be arraigned on
new charges, by video... I
don't want to step on anyone's
toes out in Chicago. What
about April 30? What about
questionnaires on September
14? The defense lawyers don't
necessarily have to
come.
R.Kelly's lawyer
emphasized, We want the New
York case to go first.
Judge Donnelly continued, So
two weeks after the
questionnaire.
Lawyer: The 28th is Yom
Kippur. So let's do 29th.
Judge Donnelly asked, Why have
you made your bail application
to me, when it's about
Illinois? I've asked the US to
respond. But I'm curious.
R.Kelly's
lawyer quickly said, We could
re-file it in Illinois. We
didn't want him to be released
in Chicago and then for you to
jail him.
Judge
Donnelly said, That could
happen.
[In
fairness to some online
replies, the reality is if any
defendant is subject to two
judges' or jurisdictions'
detention orders, if the first
orders release, the defendant
would still be arrested on the
second order unless it is
removed.]
Judge Donnelly continued,
Anyway, I've asked the
government to respond. Let's
just go forward. Anything else
we need to do today?
Counselor
Greenberg said, You mentioned
April 30 for arraignment by
video, but they're not
bringing anyone to the court
in Chicago.
Judge Donnelly said, Here in
New York, they're setting up
video arraignments. I'll look
into it. Stay safe and talk to
y'all soon. And that was it.
Inner City Press will continue
to follow and report on the
case. It is US v. Robert
Sylvester Kelly, a/k/a R.
Kelly, EDNY Docket No.
19-cr-286 (AMD). More on Patreon here.
***
Your
support means a lot. As little as $5 a month
helps keep us going and grants you access to
exclusive bonus material on our Patreon
page. Click
here to become a patron.
Feedback:
Editorial [at] innercitypress.com
SDNY Press Room 480, front cubicle
500 Pearl Street, NY NY 10007 USA
Mail: Box 20047, Dag
Hammarskjold Station NY NY 10017
Reporter's mobile (and weekends):
718-716-3540
Other, earlier Inner City Press are
listed here,
and some are available in the ProQuest
service, and now on Lexis-Nexis.
Copyright 2006-2020 Inner City
Press, Inc. To request reprint or other
permission, e-contact Editorial [at]
innercitypress.com for
|
,
