Disgraced singer R. Kelly demanded a new trial in his federal child pornography case in Illinois, claiming that a key government witness falsely testified about when she decided to seek restitution from him.
That victim, identified in court only as “Jane,” denied at his trial that she had made any decision about whether to seek money from Kelly.
“In truth, Jane had already hired a lawyer and a team of experts to prepare a restitution package for this court that the government presents in support of its claim that Jane is entitled to a whopping $13M in restitution,” Kelly’s attorney Jennifer Bonjean, who helped overturn comedian Bill Cosby’s conviction last year, wrote in an eight-page motion for a new trial.
Jane’s legal team claims their client deserves $20 million in restitution, and Kelly’s lawyers said in a footnote that they will respond to those estimates in a future filing.
Kelly’s defense said such evidence would have been crucial to undermining Jane’s motive to testify.
“It is difficult to deny that that $13M could be a very strong motivator for victim witnesses and could reflect on the credibility of a witness,” the motion notes.
Kelly’s attorneys imply that Jane is essentially trying get civil damages from a criminal trial.
“Not only did she know of her intent, she apparently invested 10K into assembling an expert team to prepare expert reports that supports an outrageous request for restitution of nearly $20M — as if she was litigating a complex civil case —...
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