The Chicago federal court rejected all arguments in R. Kelly’s defense. Already sentenced to thirty years in prison for sex crimes, the American R&B singer saw his twenty-year prison sentence for child pornography confirmed on appeal. Aged 57, Robert Sylvester Kelly, his real name, hoped to escape prosecution because the statute of limitations had passed.
The artist, known worldwide for his hit I Believe I Can Fly and his 75 million records sold, had long reigned over R&B despite suspicions of sexual assault. He was found guilty in September 2021 of having operated for years a “system” of sexual exploitation of young people, including teenage girls, and sentenced in June 2022 to thirty years in prison by a federal court in New York, a sentence he is currently serving.
In February 2023, he was also sentenced to twenty years in prison for producing child pornography and embezzling a minor. The judge ordered that he only serve one more year in prison after he had served his first sentence.
“A complex scheme” to silence victims
“For years, Robert Sylvester Kelly committed sexual violence against minor girls,” according to the judgment handed down Friday. “By using a complex scheme to silence the victims, he dodged the consequences for a long time” but “these crimes finally caught up with him.” Excerpts from videos showing sexual violence committed by R. Kelly on young girls, one of whom was only 14 years old, were broadcast during the trial.
The singer’s lawyer, Jennifer Bonjean, said he would appeal to the Supreme Court. “We are disappointed with the judgment but our fight is far from over,” she assured in a press release according to American media.
For decades, R. Kelly’s success had been tarnished by suspicions of sexual violence, the subject of persistent rumors. He had long managed to silence them with financial agreements providing for confidentiality clauses.