Two days ago, federal prosecutors for the Eastern District of New York (EDNY) filed a 9-count superseding indictment against embattled R&B singer R. Kelly.
In conjunction with the new indictment, Kelly is now facing 1 count of Racketeering – and 8 counts of violations of the Mann Act – in the EDNY.
One of the new allegations set forth in the superseding indictment concerns an underage aged minor who is referred to only as “Jane Doe #5”.
As described in the superseding indictment, Kelly is alleged to have arranged for Jane Doe #5 to travel to New York and other locations to have sex with him without informing her that he had contracted herpes. The girl allegedly contracted herpes during her sexual encounters with Kelly.
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Still More Charges to Be Filed Against R. Kelly in Chicago
Just last week, we reported that federal prosecutors in Chicago had filed a new 13-count superseding indictment against Kelly there.
We also reported that the Chicago federal prosecutors were expecting to file yet another superseding indictment when they finish reviewing the 100 electronic storage devices they recently seized from a storage unit that Kelly rented in Chicago.
R. Kelly
Upon hearing that there was likely going to be another superseding indictment, the presiding federal judge in the Illinois case pushed back the start of Kelly’s trial there from April 27th to October 13th.
The charges that Kelly is currently facing in the Illinois federal case include 2 counts of receiving child pornography, 1 count of conspiracy to receive child pornography, 4 counts of producing child pornography, 5 counts of enticing a minor to engage in criminal sexual activity, and 1 count of conspiracy to obstruct justice.
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Why Hasn’t The NDNY Brought Any Charges Against Raniere & Others?
Watching how federal prosecutors in Brooklyn and New York have whipsawed R. Kelly back and forth on new charges in both locations makes it abundantly clear that multi-jurisdictional cases can, in fact, be simultaneously prosecuted.
Which raises the question as to why this hasn’t happened with regard to Keith Raniere and the other members of the NXIVM cult who were involved in its criminal operations.
MK10ART’s splendid portrait of Keith Alan Raniere.
If the EDNY’s investigators and prosecutors can successfully coordinate operations with their counterparts in Chicago, then why can’t they do the same with their counterparts in Albany?
At a minimum, we would have expected the NDNY staff to reinstate the four charges that were dropped by the EDNY prosecutors last April because of jurisdictional issues.
– Count Three: Sexual Exploitation Of A Child – Jane Doe 2: Keith Raniere
– Count Four: Sexual Exploitation Of A Child – Jane Doe 2: Keith Raniere
– Count Five: Possession Of Child Pornography: Keith Raniere
– Count Eleven: Conspiracy To Commit Identity Theft Regarding Jane Doe 7: Keith Raniere, Clare Bronfman & Others
At the time that they dropped the above-listed counts, the EDNY prosecutors made it very clear that they expected those same charges to be prosecuted in the NDNY.
In the filing in which it advised Judge Nicholas G. Garaufis about the charges being dropped, the EDNY prosecutorial team wrote: “The undersigned have been in contact with the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York and will determine how to proceed on Counts Three, Four, Five and Eleven following their dismissal in this matter”.
Judge Nicholas G. Garaufis
Before the four charges were dropped in the EDNY case, its investigators and prosecutors had already compiled all the evidence that would be needed in order to prosecute those charges.
Thus, all the NDNY staff would really have to do is present that same evidence to an NDNY Grand Jury – and seek to have Keith Raniere, Clare Bronfman, and the unnamed “others” indicted on those same four charges.
MK10ART’s painting of Clare Bronfman
How hard can that be?
On two different occasions after the EDNY case was first announced, NDNY prosecutors indicated that they were interested in bringing charges against people involved with the NXIVM/ESP criminal enterprise. On both occasions, they were told they’d have to wait until the EDNY case had been concluded.
Well, guess what folks?
All that’s left to do in the EDNY case is to sentence the five defendants who pleaded guilty to various charges in that case: Nancy Salzman, Lauren, Allison Mack, Clare Bronfman and Kathy Russell – and the one clown-ass who thought he and his high-priced attorneys could dazzle the jury with their bullshit but instead ended up being convicted on all seven counts he was facing: Keith Raniere.
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Why Is R. Kelly Facing Multiple Prosecutions When Raniere Has Only Faced One?
In looking at the two situations, it’s hard to figure out exactly why the federal government can simultaneously mount two prosecutions against R. Kelly by prosecutorial offices that are 800 miles apart – and yet it can’t do the same between with two prosecutorial offices that are only 150 miles apart.
Let’s look at some possible reasons why this may be happening…
Is it because the prosecutorial staff in the NDNY lacks the experience and expertise that is needed to successfully prosecute Keith Raniere, Clare Bronfman and others?
Or is it because the NDNY staff were so compromised by NXIVM over the years that the Department of Justice doesn’t want to risk having those stories come out – which could, of course, happen if the NDNY were to initiate any prosecutions against Raniere and others?
Is it because the NDNY doesn’t want to prosecute anyone on the four dropped charges because doing so would very likely bring calls for even more prosecutions of more NXIVM-related defendants on more charges?
Is it because DOJ is afraid that prosecuting any cases in the NDNY could lead to the truth coming out about other criminal cases where NXIVM was able to put its thumb on the scales of justice: e.g., cases like John Tighe, Joe O’Hara, and Frank Parlato?
Is it a racial thing? If Raniere were black, would the NDNY already be prosecuting him on a myriad of charges?
Perhaps it’s time for some of New York’s political leaders to start looking into this mystery…
