R Kelly has been sentenced to 30 years in prison on charges of sex trafficking and racketeering by a federal court in New York. A court heard how the R&B singer was a mastermind behind an elaborate scheme to entice and sexually exploit young aspiring singers and minors.
He was faced by seven of his victims in court today, who spoke of his “deplorable and inexplicable” abuse during the hearing. While sporting a prison-issue uniform, Kelly did not seem to react while his sentence was read out. Kelly, whose real name is Robert Sylvester Kelly, has now been detained at the Metropolitan Detention Centre in Brooklyn.
The former 90s superstar's sentence comes after his conviction on numerous counts racketeering, relating to bribery and forced labour, by a jury in September 2021. The 55-year-old, who was branded “the pied piper of R&B”, was also found to be in violation of the Mann Act - an anti-sex trafficking law.
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The singer was found guilty on all nine counts against him, despite denying all charges, after a six-week trial. Judge Ann Donnelly told the court he had used his “minions” to “lure young fans into your orbit” while sentencing him.
Victim impact statements from seven women were presented anonymously to the court, which detailed Kelly’s “God-like complex” and how he used his “fame and power” to entice his victims.
A woman, who's name was changed to Angela for legal reasons, said: “The pied piper of R&B, both in music and in technique and in approach. Success and love… you presented these glittering gems as if they were gold.
“With every addition of a new victim you grew in wickedness, cockiness, diminishing any form of humanity or self-awareness, which soon became the breeding ground for your God-like complex. You were doing, saying and encouraging despicable things that no one should be doing. We reclaim our names from beneath the shadows of your afflicted trauma.”
A woman, known in the case as Jane Doe number two, paused her statement, saying she “did not want to interrupt (Kelly’s) conversation” as he appeared to confer with his lawyer. She told him: "You are an abuser, you are shameless, you are disgusting."
The singer is known for his songs - including his first number one single 'Bump N’ Grind' and 1996 smash hit 'I Believe I Can Fly'. The latter became an inspirational anthem played at school graduations, weddings, in advertisements and elsewhere, including the inauguration of former US president Barack Obama in 2008.
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