*The New York federal sex crimes trial of R. Kelly has officially been appealed.
In 2021, R. Kelly was found guilty on 9 federal counts that included sex crimes, human trafficking, and RICO charges. As TMZ reports, the singer says his conviction should be reversed because the government did not meet its burden of proof in court. Some of the evidence the prosecutors presented during the trial has been criticized by Kelly’s lawyers.
In the legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Kelly’s legal team states that at least 4 of the jurors admitted to prejudging the singer guilty after watching the “Surviving R. Kelly” documentary on Lifetime. The attorneys say they should never have been on the jury.
Kelly’s team also argues that the alleged underage girls in the case were 18 years old during sexual relationships. For those that may have been underage, Kelly’s legal team states the singer was misled.
READ MORE: R. Kelly Explains Why He Wants Fans to Call the DOJ for Him | Video
His team also argues that details about Kelly’s sexual preferences and accounts about STDs as well as bedroom behavior were not relevant to the case and hurt his ability to get a fair trial.
The appeal demands a reversal of his convictions or at least a new trial.
R. Kelly is currently serving a 30-year sentence in this matter and another 20 years after being convicted in a separate federal case in Chicago on similar charges. There is no appeal filed yet in the Chicago case.
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