Antonio Perez/Associated Press
- R. Kelly's lawyers asked the court to provide him with transcripts, saying he's too broke to pay for them.
- Lawyers for the singer also said he's gained weight in jail, according to Page Six.
- Jury selection in Kelly's sexual abuse trial in New York is set to begin August 9.
- Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.
Lawyers for R. Kelly said in a Thursday court filing that the R&B singer doesn't have the money to pay for court transcripts necessary for his defense, just days ahead of his sexual abuse trial.
The singer, whose full name is Robert Sylvester Kelly, faces racketeering charges in New York for allegedly running a criminal operation to kidnap and sex traffic young women. Jury selection in the federal trial is set to begin on August 9.
Kelly's attorney sent a letter to Judge Ann Donnelly requesting that the court provide free transcripts of the jury selection hearing to the singer.
"As the defense set forth during the conference, Mr. Kelly is financially unable to obtain the transcripts and the transcripts are necessary for his defense," Kelly's attorney, Calvin Scholar, wrote in the letter.
Kelly had appeared in court on Tuesday for a pre-trial hearing, according to Page Six, where his attorneys said that the singer broke and that he needs new clothes because he gained a significant amount of weight while locked up.
"We need measurements for appropriate attire for his trial," his lawyer said. "We're trying to get his measurements. How can we take his size?"
Donnelly responded that she would not take his measurements, Page Six reported.
Recently, prosecutors filed a motion to present new evidence in Kelly's trial, alleging that the singer abused a teenage boy he met at a McDonald's and that he bribed officials for information related to his case.
Opening statements in Kelly's trial are expected to begin August 18.