R. Kelly rejected R. Kelly’s motion to disqualify Chicago prosecutor after a judge ruled that his claim lacked evidence.
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R. Kelly failed to convince a Chicago federal judge to disqualify the entire U.S. Attorney’s Office from his case, and the court ruled that his allegations lacked reliable evidence.
U.S. District Court Judge Martha Pacold denied the singer’s motion, calling it a “extreme” and “dramatic” claim based on speculation rather than proof.
R. Kelly argues that prosecutors in the northern Illinois area were unable to handle his post-conviction lawsuit fairly due to alleged misconduct and internal conflict.
Judge Pacald said: “To ensure that the entire American is disqualified, and therefore such extraordinary people are invaded into the party, the defendant must do the same extraordinary performance. Kelly’s motion does not meet that standard.”
Kelly claimed that the former prosecutor involved in the case committed misconduct and the rest of the staff were not fair. However, the judge noted that the individual he accused no longer worked for the office, and Kelly himself admitted that the current prosecutor did nothing wrong with the case.
The court stressed that removing the entire U.S. Attorney’s Office was a rare move.
Kelly’s legal team, led by attorney Beau Brindley, filed a motion in June. They accused at least one former prosecutor of misconduct, conflict of interest, and even possible criminal acts.
Brindley believes that the office cannot be trusted to investigate itself and ask the Washington Department of Justice or other districts to step up.
R. Kelly is currently sentenced to 30 years in prison for FCI Butner, North Carolina, for his 2022 conviction on federal charges involving child pornography and obstruction of justice. The Seventh Circuit upheld his conviction in 2024.
He is now on a new trial on the grounds of unconstitutional conduct and claims of misconduct by the government.
His team accused federal officials of conspiring to derail, including stealing legal mail, coercing testimony, and even murdering him.
The government must respond to Kelly’s new trial motion by October 16, 2025.
