On December 18, R. Kelly is set to be indicted in Brooklyn for bribing a government official to permit his 1994 marriage to the late singer Aaliyah, who was only 15 years old at the time. Kelly was 27. The bribery charge arose last week in conjunction with his racketeering case.
According to Page Six, the US Attorney’s office in Brooklyn pushed for federal Judge Ann Donnelly to require Kelly to appear in person for his upcoming court date, but Kelly slid by with only having to appear via video-call from behind bars in Chicago. The "I Believe I Can Fly" singer fought to not have to travel to New York, as he has a phobia of planes.
Kelly's ex-tour manager, Demetrius Smith has admitted to obtaining false documents to facilitate the underage marriage. While Smith agreed to testify, he told TMZ yesterday that he still doesn't wish to see Kelly go to jail, since he believes he is more deserving of psychological help. However, given the evidence against him, it seems unlikely that Kelly will go unpunished for having married a minor. If for some reason he doesn't receive a sentence for this particular crime, he is also embroiled a bunch of other cases for kidnapping, forced labor, possession of child pornography, engaging in prostitution with a minor, and moving girls across state lines for sex.