If VH1 were following around R. Kelly for a show, it would easily be titled “The Worst Week Ever.” After several witnesses identified Kelly on a tape showing sex acts with a minor, the Pied Piper suffered another setback this week when a forensics expert said the tape in question was “real.”

The revelation from an FBI forensics expert puts a hole in Kelly’s defense; his lawyers have often made the accusation that the tape had been digitally altered or the copy shown in the courtroom wasn’t clear enough for a positive identification of the man or girl in the tape.

George Skaluba testified yesterday that the contents of the video depicted “real people in a real environment.”

Despite the Skaluba’s testimony, the Kelly defense scored some victories in court yesterday. While concluding the tape is real, Skaluba could not say with certainty whether it was Kelly and the young girl—who’s now 23—in question. His attorneys also say the singer has a mole on his back, while the man on the tape does not.

Skaluba also confirmed that the tape shown in court was the product of a copy of a copy, as Kelly’s lawyers have also pointed out.

In another bombshell that could favor the singer, a surprise witness is said to be ready to come forward that will be able to discredit the testimony of a previous trial witness. As of press time, that man has not been identified.

Kelly, 41, faces up to 15 years if convicted on all charges.