‘R&B’ star R. Kelly was sentenced to 30 years in prison on Wednesday for using his fame to repeatedly sexually abuse young followers, some of whom were just children. According to Variety, Robert Sylvester Kelly, a 55-year-old singer, has been found guilty of racketeering and eight counts of violating the Mann Act, which prohibits trafficking people between states into prostitution.
45 witnesses testified for the government and he has been detained since July 2019. He still faces allegations of child pornography and obstruction of justice in Chicago, in addition to charges in state courts in Illinois and Minnesota.
A six-week trial revealed how Kelly had used workers and go-betweens to lure fans and aspiring singers into sexually abusive and controlling conditions, including being locked in rooms for days with no food or access to a bathroom.
One of the most successful hitmakers of the 1990s and early 2000s, Kelly was found guilty of all nine charges against him in September. Given Kelly’s continued public threats and apparent lack of remorse for allegedly using his popularity to sexually and emotionally abuse his victims, many of whom were minors, federal prosecutors were given a “over 25 year” sentence. requested.
Although Kelly was found guilty of decades of planning to recruit women, underage girls and men for sex, his attorney Jennifer Bonjean, who also represented Bill Cosby in his successful appeal of a sexual assault conviction last year, pleaded guilty sentenced to a minimum of no more than 10 years in prison and alleges that the singer’s abuse as a child may have contributed to his later “hypersexuality”. Angela, the first victim to speak, stood at a lectern and addressed Kelly directly, as she had described him as a Pied Piper who seduced the youth with his wealth and notoriety.
“With each new victim your malice grew. You used your fame and power to groom and train underage boys and girls for your own sexual gratification. We are no longer the exploited individuals we once prayed for God to reach their souls,” she said.
The past four years have been a brutal awakening to how my silence has harmed others, according to a second victim named Addie, who expressed guilt over decades of keeping silent about her encounter with Kelly in the 1990s.
Nine women and two men gave vivid accounts of Kelly’s sexual and psychological abuse at last fall’s trial, and some of them testified under oath that they were minors when he first had sex with them.
Kelly reportedly shows no remorse or even admits his unlawful conduct, showing “a callous disregard” for the ramifications of his abuse, which was reportedly “fueled by narcissism and a belief that his musical talent relieved him of the need to conform to his, according to the.” Letter from the prosecutor regarding the conviction, as reported by Variety.
Following the punishment, Kelly is expected to be relocated to Chicago, where he will stand trial in August on charges of disability and child pornography.
