Judge denies R Kelly’s request to remove prosecutors from his case
R Kelly tried to remove prosecutors from his case in June. Now, a federal judge has responded by denying his request.
US District Judge Martha Pacold called the motion “extreme,” “drastic,” and based on speculation, claiming it lacked credible evidence.
“To warrant such an extraordinary intrusion into the affairs of a coequal branch as the disqualification of an entire USAO, a defendant must make an equally extraordinary showing,” she said, according to AllHipHop. “Kelly’s motion does not meet that standard.”
The Chicago singer alleged misconduct and internal conflicts when making his request about Northern District of Illinois prosecutors.
Kelly’s lawyer, Beau Brindley, previously filed a motion claiming a former prosecutor engaged in “serious malfeasance.”
“While it is theoretically conceivable that one single AUSA went rogue and participated in all of this misconduct on her own, with neither the participation nor knowledge of any of her colleagues or supervisors in this prosecution, that possibility is both remote and in need of full and impartial investigation,” he said.
“Every single AUSA who worked on the investigation or prosecution of this case has a personal interest in the outcome of this investigation. Every supervisor who oversaw any part of the investigation or prosecution of this case has a personal stake in the results of Mr Kelly’s motion.
Kelly is serving 30 years on federal racketeering and sex trafficking charges. He’s currently detained at FCI Butner in North Carolina after being convicted in 2022.
Over the summer, Kelly tried and failed to be released to home confinement. Denying his request, the judge said, “Kelly has not produced any argument or evidence—much less clear and convincing evidence—challenging [the court’s previous] finding or indicating that circumstances have changed such that Kelly is no longer a flight risk or a danger to the community.”