Feds Believe Jurors on R. Kelly’s Case Are in Danger, Files Request to Leave Them Anonymous
Federal authorities have filed a legal documents in the Eastern District of New York requesting for the jurors to remain anonymous in fear that R. Kelly’s team will interfere.
According to TMZ, the feds want jurors names, addresses, and place of employment to be kept under wraps. They also want jurors to be escorted in and out of the courthouse by the U.S. Marshal and to have lunch together so they aren’t bombarded by a media circus.
The feds insist that the jurors identities isn’t relevant to the selection process and argue “these measures are necessary to safeguard the jurors and the fair administration of process.”
The prosecutors claim R. Kelly has previously attempted to obstruct justice. They referred to the disgraced singer as “the leader of a racketeering enterprise he created and used for decades to sexually abuse and exploit women and girls for his own sexual gratification, including through the use of bribery, kidnapping and forced labor.”
Officials allege that Kelly “has a history of coercing women to write letters containing false and embarrassing allegations” so he can later use them as blackmail.
The judge hasn’t signed off on this request yet. Do you think this is a necessary safety precaution?