R. Kelly Given Appeal Extension After Testing Positive For COVID-19

R. Kelly has contracted COVID-19 and has been granted an extension to file his post-trial motions because visits to his attorney have been indefinitely suspended.

Kelly was convicted by a federal jury in New York after a five-week trial. The singer is still facing criminal charges in Chicago.

Kelly is due to stand trial there, where he is accused of 13 further sex crimes, including producing child pornography and conspiring to intimidate victims and conceal evidence. Kelly has pleaded not guilty to all charges. 

R KELLY’S LAST INTERVIEW

R Kelly Crazy Interview (; 1:41)

His attorney Jennifer Bonjean says his diagnosis affects his ability to speak over the phone.

Kelly will be sentenced in May 2022 and his Chicago trial will now not begin until August 2022. Kelly was found guilty of all nine counts of sex trafficking and racketeering in New York and is facing life in prison. If he is given a long prison sentence, he as a slim chance of the Chicago trial being dropped — but it’s not likely.