R. Kelly Jailed For 30 Years Over Sex Trafficking And Racketeering

R. Kelly, the R&B singer was sentenced to 30 years in prison on Wednesday for charges related to nearly 30 years’ worth of allegations that he physically and sexually abused women and minors.  

iexclusivenews reports that a Brooklyn jury had found the R&B singer guilty of racketeering and sex trafficking last year, and he had faced up to life in prison.  

One of the most well-known instances to result from the #MeToo movement was his 2021 trial.  

It is also one of the most well-known incidents where Black women made up the majority of the victims. 

Prosecutors had asked for a 25-year sentence while Kelly’s defense team had argued for 14 to 17½ years. 

“The public has to be protected from behaviors like this,” Judge Ann M. Donnelly said as she delivered Kelly’s sentence, according to media reports. “These crimes were calculated and carefully planned and regularly executed for almost 25 years.” 

[the_ad id=”41664″]

A jury in the U.S. District Court in Brooklyn last year convicted 55-year-old Kelly guilty of one count of racketeering and eight breaches of the Mann Act. A statute designed to prevent interstate sex trafficking. Kelly was found guilty of racketeering and 14 related offenses.

For instance, witnesses said that the ’90s hitmaker illegally married R&B singer Aaliyah, who was 15 and thought to be pregnant at the time, by paying a government official to issue her a phony ID indicating that she was an adult.

What You Need To Know

Prosecutors claim that Kelly did this to shield himself from legal repercussions while he began sexually abusing Aaliyah when she was 12 or 13 years old. At the age of 22, she perished in an aircraft disaster. 

[the_ad id=”41670″]

He was also found guilty of transporting a child, compulsion, and engaging in unlawful sexual behavior while crossing state borders.

A image of a musician who exploited his fame, fortune, and power to dominate and sexually abuse women was painted by witnesses, including Kelly’s live-in girlfriends and his former staff. Jane.

One of the accusers, said that she was coerced into having sex with other women and that Kelly would not let her leave the room without his permission.

Witnesses said that Kelly and his staff would utilize the notoriety of the artist to entice and organize travel for their victims. Many of whom were young people wanting to get their big break in the music industry, only for Kelly to abuse them sexually. 

However, iexclusivenews Nigeria reports that one of Kelly’s claimed victims, Angela, turned to him during the sentencing hearing on Wednesday, according to accounts in the media.

[the_ad id=”33485″]

You become more cruel with each additional victim, she claimed.

“You trained and coached minor boys and girls for your personal sexual enjoyment using your celebrity and authority,” the accuser said.

Kelly found guilty on all federal charges in sex trafficking and racketeering trial

What People Are Saying

One of the most well-known R&B singer-songwriters of the 1990s before his fall from favor, Kelly enjoyed great success.

Kelly remained invincible for years as the music business appeared to dismiss claims against him.

He was accused of creating a sex tape with a juvenile in a child pornography case, which resulted in his acquittal in 2008.

After the defense team claimed that it was impossible to identify the identity of the girl in the video, the jury dismissed the charges.

[the_ad id=”41670″]

The multiplatinum-selling, Grammy-winning artist continued to release successes for years, including “I Believe I Can Fly” and “Step in the Name of Love.”

Before the public was asked to cease supporting him financially through the #MuteRKelly social media movement. Then, in 2019, Lifetime’s six-part documentary series “Surviving R. 

He is facing a number of criminal accusations in Minnesota and Chicago. He will stand trial in Illinois in August on federal counts of child pornography and obstruction of justice.

In that case, Kelly changed defense counsel and hired Jennifer Bonjean. Who helped Bill Cosby get released from jail last year after serving a three-year term for sexual assault. In 2020, he entered a not-guilty plea to the accusations.