
Over the past two years the name R. Kelly has been synonymous with the R&B singer’s campy, dramatic “Trapped in the Closet” series (most recently, IFC greenlit the production of ten more episodes). But now Kelly will have to face the legal music that made him infamous five years ago: His child pornography case is finally going to trial. Kelly was charged with twenty-one counts of child pornography and having sex with an underage girl in 2002 after a tape surfaced showing a man who appeared to be Kelly making time with a fourteen-year-old girl. The seven counts of having sex with a minor were later dropped because the video failed to show actual sexual intercourse. Kelly, who claims he is not the man in the video, faces a fifteen-year jail sentence plus $100,000 fine if he’s found guilty.
At a hearing held yesterday in Chicago, Judge Vincent Gaughan announced that Kelly’s trial will begin September 17 — a decision the singer’s reps are spinning as great news. “As Robert [Kelly] said many times, he believes in our system of justice,” a spokesperson for the star said. “He’s confident that when all the facts come out, it will be clear he’s not guilty of any crime. He is looking forward to finally having his day in court.”
Photo: Gries/Getty

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