Federal Judge Sets Trial Date For R. Kelly Sex Abuse Case

A trial date has been set for the R. Kelly sex abuse case in Chicago.

On Tuesday (December 22), a federal judge set the disgraced singer's trial date for September 13, 2021, noting that the date could potentially change due to the coronavirus pandemic.

U.S. District Judge Harry Leinenweber set the date after a federal prosecutor told him during a hearing that "the government would need three weeks to present its evidence against" Kelly, Chicago's Fox 32 reports.

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. He was also charged with obstruction of justice, as prosecutors claim he "thwarted an earlier 2008 prosecution in Cook County with threats, gifts, and six-figure payoffs," according to Chicago's Fox 32.

Kelly entered a not-guilty plea in both Chicago and New York cases. If he is found guilty, he faces a minimum of 15 years behind bars and a maximum sentence of 195 years in prison based on the Chicago charges alone.

Photo: Getty Images