An overseas trip by R. Kelly is in limbo after his attorney asked a judge Friday for more time to provide details to the court about up to five concerts the R&B singer wants to perform next month in Dubai.
A Chicago pretrial hearing only briefly touched on a defense motion asking the judge in the sexual abuse case to approve Kelly’s travel, portraying him as desperate for concert income to pay bills amid his legal troubles.
Attorney Steve Greenberg told reporters outside court that he wanted to gather more information on the concerts to give the Judge “a certain comfort level” about what the travel and concerts would entail.
Kelly’s entertainment attorney, Doug Anton, said any Dubai trip was off for now as contracts with Dubai concert organizers are reworked. He said celebrity singers often go to Dubai for appearances, then arrange concerts.
A condition of Kelly’s bond is that he can’t travel outside Illinois without court permission. Judges often refuse that permission in felony cases, fearing defendants will go on the lam. If convicted on 10 counts of aggravated sexual abuse, Kelly could face decades behind bars.
