R. Kelly's federal racketeering and sex trafficking case in New York City will be heard by an anonymous jury that will be partially sequestered, CNN reports.
"Empaneling an anonymous jury is appropriate given the seriousness of the charges, the defendant's history of obstructing the judicial process, the potential for juror intimidation and the intensity of media attention given to this case," US District Judge Ann M. Donnelly wrote in her ruling that was issued on October 8 and unsealed on Friday (October 30).
The disgraced singer and accused pedophile, who's currently being held without bail in federal prison in Chicago, where he also faces federal and state charges, faces multiple charges, including violations of the Mann Act, which prohibits trafficking people across state lines for prostitution or sexual activity.
As previously reported, Kelly was hit with a total of 18 counts of sexual misconduct and other charges in Chicago and New York earlier this year. He was arrested in July in Chicago, where prosecutors charged him with a number of sex crime-related charges, including producing and receiving child pornography, and inducing minors to engage in sexual activity.
Kelly entered a not-guilty plea in both cases. However, if he is found guilty Kelly faces a minimum of 15 years behind bars and a maximum sentence of 195 years in prison based on the Chicago charges alone. He also faces decades more in prison in New York.
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