For some reason, R. Kelly has been expecting prosecutors to take it easy on him. Earlier today, it was reported that his request was denied to have the identities of two Jane Doe accusers revealed in his federal case. Kelly' lawyer, Steve Greenberg, claimed that it would be difficult to build a defence without this information, but the judge was more concerned about Kelly intimidating his alleged victims, as he has in the past.
Turns out Greenberg had also asked the judge to cut Kells some slack in regards to his attendance at an upcoming hearing. There is a hearing scheduled for February 6 in New York for his federal case, but Kelly wished to be exempt from appearing at it. According to court documents obtained by The Blast, Greenberg wrote in a letter to the judge that he would not be able to make it on that date and neither would another one of Kelly's lawyers.
Frankly, the prosecutors did not give two hoots about whatever excuse Kelly and his team were providing. They responded to the request: “In light of the upcoming trial date and the serious nature of the charges that the defendant faces, the government respectfully requests that, absent a compelling reason, the defendant appear by video conference at the conference scheduled for February 6, 2020.”