R & B singer R. Kelly is on trial in Brooklyn federal court on charges he led a decade-long racketeering scheme wherein girls and girls were recruited to have sex with him and subjected to physical abuse and blackmail.
Kelly has denied the Charges.
Underneath is a timeline of events leading up to the trial.
Jan. 8, 1967: Robert Sylvester Kelly is born in Chicago.
In January 1992, Kelly’s debut album, “Born into the ’90s,” launched him to stardom.
Kelly, 27, marries his making a song protegee Aaliyah Haughton, 15, allegedly bribing a local reputable to obtain a faux identification that stated she had become 18 years old. Prosecutors say Kelly met Aaliyah, as she turned 12, while she turned 12, and soon thereafter began a sexual relationship.
February 1995: Kelly’s and Aaliyah’s marriage is annulled.
In November 1995, Kelly released the album “R. Kelly,” which reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
In January 1997, Kelly’s song “I believe I will fly,” from the soundtrack to the movie “Space Jam,” reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and won 3 Grammy awards.
In 1996, Kelly married dancer Andrea Lee, 22. They have three children.
Tiffany Hawkins sues Kelly for sexual battery, which allegedly commenced when she turned into a minor. They settled out of court.
In December 2000, The Chicago Sun-times reported that Kelly habitually had sexual relationships with underage women.
In June 2002, Kelly was indicted in Chicago on toddler pornography charges following the release of a videotape displaying him having sex with a minor.
September 2005: Andrea Kelly seeks an order of protection, claiming Kelly hit her.
June 2008: A jury acquits Kelly in the baby pornography case.
January 2009: Kelly and his wife verify they have divorced.
July 2017: Buzzfeed reports that Kelly is maintaining girls in what their dad and mom describe as a cult, fueling renewed attention to the accusations against the singer.
August 2017: Jerhonda Pace, who claims Kelly sexually abused her and turned into the primary prosecution witness in the Brooklyn trial, breaks a nondisclosure settlement and goes public with accusations against Kelly.
January 2019: The Lifetime documentary “Surviving R. Kelly” makes more accusations against Kelly, prompting new calls for him to be investigated.
February 2019: Kelly is indicted for sexual abuse by a Cook County, Illinois grand jury. A brand new indictment follows in May.
In July 2019, Kelly was indicted in the Chicago federal court docket for child pornography and obstruction of justice, and in Brooklyn federal court for racketeering. He was jailed in Chicago.
Kelly is charged in Minnesota state court with undertaking prostitution with a woman below 18.
June 2021: Kelly fires his 4 attorneys in the Brooklyn case. Both were later changed. Kelly was moved to a Brooklyn jail for his upcoming trial.
August 9, 2021: Jury selection in the Brooklyn federal court docket starts.
August 18, 2021: Brooklyn sex abuse trial starts.
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