R. Kelly has been denied bail.
The ‘Ignition’ hitmaker has been in jail since he was arrested on alleged sexual abuse charges and denied bond last month, and after he appeared in court again on Friday (02.08.19) for back-to-back hearings in federal court in Brooklyn, he has been denied bail yet again.
According to CBS New York, Kelly pleaded not guilty to the charges against him – which accuse him of sexually abusing women and girls – but was ordered by a judge to be held without bail.
The rapper is charged in New York with exploiting five victims, identified only as "Jane Does," three of whom alleged they were minors at the time.
The case is separate to another ongoing trial in Chicago, where he was arrested last month on charges accusing him of engaging in child pornography and further sexual abuse.
In the New York indictment, Kelly is accused of running a racketeering enterprise comprised of "managers, bodyguards, drivers, personal assistants and runners for the defendant, as well as members of his entourage", who would allegedly recruit young women for sex with the musician.
Kelly is also accused of filming the sexual activity including that with alleged underage victims, which constitutes child pornography.
The star’s not guilty plea follows a previous plea entered by the star in which he denied 13 alleged sex trafficking charges.
Since being placed in jail, Kelly has been moved to solitary confinement, and his lawyer, Nicole Blank Becker, recently claimed he doesn’t mind being on his own, because he feels safer as he’s aware other inmates know he’s been accused of sex crimes involving under age girls.
However, his attorney claimed the ‘I Believe I Can Fly’ hitmaker being in solitary could be problematic because he has no one to lean on for support or help.
R. Kelly denied bail
