R. Kelly is desperate to defend himself as he made a massive move in his current legal battle.
After he was found guilty on all counts in his sex trafficking trial, R. Kelly wants to cut his life imprisonment short by adding Bill Cosby's lawyer to his team.
The Chicago Tribune reported that Cosby's legal representative, Jennifer Bonjean, has been hired in the disgraced singer's legal counsel. The news outlet added that she already appeared in the US District Court in Brooklyn to register her name under R. Kelly's team.
During her first appearance, Bonjean reportedly showed her clear intention to have the court open a new trial for R. Kelly.
She will be responsible for convincing the court to set aside the conviction and consider a new trial. If District Judge Ann Donnelly rejects the request, she would make another appeal to the 2nd US Circuit Court Of Appeals.
Before representing R. Kelly, she already asked the court for a two-month extension to prepare for the trial.
"I am becoming increasingly concerned with how the government is abusing the RICO statute in order to plead around the statute of limitations and essentially put people's entire lives on trial. It's becoming a formula for the government. You have a right to defend yourself against specific allegations," she said.
The Latest On R. Kelly's Life As Musician
Despite his recent verdict, the Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. set records straight on whether they would rescind the singer's Grammys.
"I think it's something that we're going to need to take a good hard look at, have a lot of conversations about, work through and make a decision," Mason said, per the Chicago Sun-Times.
Though he sees the singer's actions as something disturbing, he revealed that they cannot decide at the moment as the Recording Academy has not taken people's awards after giving the recognitions to them.
Still, he is not closing the doors to consider the removal of the awards from the disgraced R&B singer.
He also reasoned out that the award-giving body aims to eliminate cancel culture as they educate the musicians on several topics and issues.
One of R. Kelly's lawyers, Steve Greenberg, believes that the client may never walk free outside the prison again. Chicago-based lawyer Michael Leonard also expects the same ahead of his formal sentencing in May.
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