A medical emergency — in the form of an infected toenail — reportedly prevented embattled singer R. Kelly from appearing in an Illinois federal courtroom on Wednesday.
The Chicago Tribune reported that attorney Steven Greenberg told U.S. District Judge Harry Leinenweber that Kelly, 52, would be a no-show for the hearing due to concerns that his toe could be stepped on during his transport from the Metropolitan Correctional Center, where he remains without bond. Greenberg told reporters that his client is in a walking boot after having his toenail removed, but he could not confirm which toe was infected.
WBBM reported that Wednesday’s court date was a status hearing aimed at handling several issues, including the possibility of having Kelly released on bail. During the hearing, Leinenweber gave federal prosecutors five weeks to respond to a motion seeking to have obstruction of justice charges against Kelly and Derrel McDavid, his former manager, dropped.
TOE PROBLEM: R. Kelly did not appear in federal court today because his attorney says he had an infection in his toe. Toenail had to be removed and he was worried that someone would step on it. @cbschicago pic.twitter.com/hkVMuTChpZ
— Megan Hickey (@MeganHickeyTV) October 30, 2019
Kelly has been in federal custody in Illinois since July for 13 criminal counts, including child pornography and obstruction of justice. He was also charged with five federal counts in New York for racketeering and sex trafficking that allegedly crossed state lines.
Kelly is also facing a total of 21 sex-related criminal charges in Cook County, Illinois — 11 which were filed in May and 10 in February. Those state charges reportedly stem from incidents dating as far back as 1998 and involve at least three underage girls.
In August, authorities in Minnesota charged Kelly with two counts of prostitution with a person under 18 in connection with an alleged 2001 incident.
Kelly’s federal trial in Illinois is scheduled to begin in April. His federal trial in New York is slated to start the following month. The singer has categorically denied all allegations of sexual misconduct.
[Featured image: R. Kelly/Antonio Perez/ via AP Pool, File]
