Jury selection in R. Kelly’s federal trial in Chicago starts on Aug. 15. Kelly is charged with creating and receiving child pornography and obstruction of justice, among other charges. The current charges are based on a tape that showed Kelly allegedly having sex with a teenage girl, and then urinating on her. Kelly was tried in 2008 but the victim in the video refused to testify and he was acquitted. The woman, who is now in her 30s, will testify this time. The conspiracy to obstruct justice charge stems from the 2008 trial, during which prosecutors allege Kelly intimidated the witness by threatening her to ensure that she would not testify.
Prosecutors say Kelly shot the video between 1998 and 2000 when she was as young as 13, and that they had sex numerous times over the years in his home, recording studio, and tour bus. The tape will be played for the jury.
The charges against Kelly also include four counts of enticement of minors for sex — one count each for four other accusers.
Kelly has already been sentenced to 30 years in prison for sexually abusing young fans for decades.
