A federal appeals court in Chicago has upheld the 20-year prison sentence for singer R. Kelly on child sex convictions. The Grammy Award-winning R&B artist, born Robert Sylvester Kelly, was convicted in 2022 on charges including producing child sexual abuse images and enticing minors for sex.
In his appeal, Kelly argued that Illinois' former statute of limitations on child sex crime prosecutions should have applied to his case, but the court ruled against him. The appeals court also rejected Kelly's argument to have charges involving different accusers tried separately.
The court noted that jurors acquitted Kelly on some counts despite video evidence showing him abusing a girl. The victim, identified as Jane, testified that she was 14 at the time the video was taken.
Kelly's attorney plans to seek U.S. Supreme Court review of the decision, stating that they will continue to pursue all appellate remedies to free Kelly.
Prosecutors in Chicago had sought a tougher sentence of 25 years, but the judge ordered Kelly to serve 20 years concurrently with a 30-year sentence imposed in New York for federal racketeering and sex trafficking convictions.
Kelly has also appealed the New York sentence, arguing that prosecutors misused a racketeering statute to target him.
