To convict Kelly of racketeering, jurors had to find him guilty of at least two of 14 “predicate acts” - the crimes elemental to the wider pattern of illegal wrongdoing. Prosecutors were tasked with proving Kelly guilty of racketeering, a federal charge commonly associated with organized crime syndicates that depicted Kelly as the boss of an enterprise of associates who facilitated his abuse.Ĭalling 45 witnesses including 11 alleged victims to the stand, they painstakingly presented a pattern of crimes they say the artist born Robert Sylvester Kelly carried out for years with impunity, capitalizing on his fame to prey on the less powerful. It was also the first time Kelly faced criminal consequences for the abuse he for decades was rumored to have inflicted on women and children.
R KELLY SINGER TRIAL
Kelly’s conviction in New York was widely seen as a milestone for the #MeToo movement: It was the first major sex abuse trial where the majority of accusers were Black women. The musician who once dominated R&B also faces prosecution in two other state jurisdictions. In that case, Kelly and two of his former associates are alleged to have rigged the singer’s 2008 pornography trial and hid years of sexual abuse of minors. The sentence comes just over a month before jury selection is due to start in Kelly’s separate, long-delayed federal trial in Chicago on August 15. Kelly’s lawyers called for a lighter sentence with a maximum of approximately 17 years. READ ALSO: Beyonce’s New Album ‘Renaissance’ Out July 29 He has shown no remorse or respect for the law,” prosecutors wrote in their sentencing memo. “His actions were brazen, manipulative, controlling, and coercive. In September, the fallen superstar was found guilty on all nine charges he faced, including the most serious of racketeering. The prosecutors had urged the court to put the “I Believe I Can Fly” artist behind bars for at least 25 years, saying he still “poses a serious danger to the public.” Kelly has been sentenced to 30 years,” the US attorney’s office for the Eastern District of New York said in a tweet. Judge Ann Donnelly handed down the term in the Brooklyn federal court nearly a year after the 55-year-old Kelly was convicted by a New York jury. Kelly was sentenced to 30 years in prison Wednesday for leading a decades-long effort to recruit and trap teenagers and women for sex. (Photo by SCOTT OLSON / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / AFP)ĭisgraced R&B singer R. Kelly (C) arrives at the Leighton Criminal Courts Building for a hearing in Chicago, Illinois. His lawyer also represented actor and comedian Bill Cosby, who faced sexual assault charges.In this file photo taken on JR&B singer R.
The singer is said to have faced multiple instances of sexual abuse, including by a sister and a male landlord, reports Reuters.
R Kelly's lawyer Jennifer Bonjean attributed R Kelly's actions to his "chaotic" home life as a child. Read more | R Kelly's lawyer seemingly admits the singer had 'sexual conduct' with Aaliyah while she was underage The court also heard how the singer had illegally obtained paperwork to marry singer Aaliyah when she was 15 in 1994, seven years before the singer died in a plane crash. Along with eight counts of sex trafficking, R Kelly was found guilty of racketeering, a charge normally used against organised crime associations.ĭuring the trial, prosecutors detailed how his managers, security guards, and other entourage members worked to assist him. The singer, who is famous for the his hit songs I Believe I Can Fly, Ignition and Step In the Name of Love, was also found to have trafficked women between different states in the US. In September 2021, R Kelly, who has been in jail since 2019, began his trial in federal court in Brooklyn, New York.Įleven accusers, nine women and two men took the stand over a six-week trial to describe the sexual humiliation and violence they faced at the hands of the pop star. Kelly, a documentary including testimony from several women accusing the singer of abuse.
R KELLY SINGER SERIES
In 20 calls to #MuteRKelly grew accompanied by a campaign, a series of protests and boycotts of his music, and the release of Surviving R. In 2008 he settled the civil complaints against him and was acquitted in a high-profile criminal case brought against him related to child pornography charges, making this his first criminal charge reports The New York Times. He has faced sexual allegations for more than two decades.
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