A tentative date has been set for R. Kelly‘s trial in Chicago for charges that the singer allegedly sexually abused minors and also conspired to obstruct justice.
According to The Associated Press, US District Judge Harry D. Leinenweber has proposed the date for April 27, 2020.
Kelly is currently being held in jail without bond after being arrested in July on a 13-count federal indictment. He’s pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Additionally, Kelly is facing criminal sex abuse-related charges in: a Brooklyn federal court; in Cook County, Illinois; and in Hennepin County, Minnesota. He’s pleaded not guilty to the charges in Brooklyn and Cook County.
The R&B singer is alleged to have paid the girl $200 (£164) to take her clothes off and engage in sexual activity, which is said not to have included intercourse. The charges are felonies, each punishable by up to five years in prison.
Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman claims the girl tried to get Kelly’s autograph, and that he gave her his signature and a phone number. When she called the number, it’s alleged she was invited to go to his hotel.
Kelly is also charged separately in Chicago with engaging in child pornography.
In related news, the artist’s ‘crisis manager’ Darrell Johnson stepped down from his post in July just hours after publicly defending the musician.
Johnson told CBS This Morning: “I wouldn’t leave my daughter with anybody that’s accused of paedophilia” before defending the singer, saying he was “scared” and “isolated”.