R. Kelly's trial on conspiracy and child pornography charges continues Tuesday morning at the downtown federal courthouse, with prosecutors nearing the end of their case against the disgraced R&B icon.
Prosecutors indicated they could wrap up their case against Kelly as soon as Tuesday, but at least likely ending this week.
Two women took the stand Monday to recount alleged sexual encounters with Kelly that took place more than two decades ago — when both claim they were underage fans of the singer.
Referred to in court by the pseudonyms "Pauline" and "Tracy," they were the last two witnesses expected to testify against Kelly about their abuse by the singer as underage girls. They also corroborated claims that Kelly sexually abused a woman, referred to in court as "Jane" who has already testified Kelly began abusing her when she was 14.
"Pauline" spent around two hours at the witness stand, describing her many sexual encounters with the singer that she said began when she was 14 years old, after she walked in on Kelly and her 14-year-old friend, "Jane," in the distinctive, log cabin-themed jacuzzi room in Kelly's Lake View mansion.
Now 37, Pauline said she fell in love with the singer and lied to protect him when interviewed by detectives ahead of Kelly's 2002 indictment in state court on child pornography charges.
"Things I thought were cool when I was a teenager… that's not OK when I'm a 37-year-old mother," she told jurors.
"Tracy" testified that she met Kelly while she was an intern for Epic Records, and that the singer came on to her even after she told him she was just 16. Now 40, Tracy's voice cracked as she testified about about an early encounter with the singer at his Chicago studio, when Kelly allegedly masturbated in front of her after she refused to perform a sex act.
"I tried to pull back, but he had a hold of my shirt and he was pleasuring himself," she said. "When he saw I was upset, he said he was really sorry and he didn't mean to upset me… he promised that that wasn't his usual behavior."
Crucially, both women testified that Kelly invited them into threesomes with Jane, the minor who was allegedly on the videotape that was the main piece of evidence in Kelly's 2008 state trial, though neither told investigators at the time.
Pauline said she did identify Jane in a still image from the video when questioned by police in 2001, but only because her mother was in the interrogation room alongside detectives.
"I knew my mom knew that it was Jane, so I couldn't say it wasn't Jane," she recalled.
Kelly attorney Jennifer Bonjean's cross-examination of the two women was some of the most lively of the trial, now in its third week.
Bonjean pointed out that Pauline had remained cordial with the singer for years, and had twice allegedly tried to blackmail him, including once by threatening to tell authorities about their sexual activity while she was underage while Kelly's 2008 trial was ongoing.
Pauline dismissed those as minor spats, and said she never collected any cash from Kelly in response to the threats.
Kelly is already serving a 30-year federal prison sentence for his racketeering conviction last year in New York.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire & Chicago Sun-Times 2022. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
Listen to WBBM Newsradio now on Audacy!
