R. Kelly Sentenced To 30 years in Prison on Federal Sex Trafficking Charges
R&B singer, R. Kelly who had long escaped criminal penalties despite decades of sexual misconduct allegations, was sentenced to 30 years in prison Wednesday for sex trafficking and racketeering.
A New York federal judge has sentenced R&B superstar R. Kelly to 30 years in prison after he was found guilty of nine counts of sex trafficking and racketeering in September.
Judge Ann M. Donnelly, who presided over the six-weeklong trial last year in Brooklyn, New York, announced the singer’s sentence Wednesday after hearing statements from Kelly’s accusers.
Kelly, born Robert Sylvester Kelly, was also ordered to pay a $100,000 fine. Kelly did not address the court.
A jury of seven men and five women found the 55-year-old guilty on Sept. 27, after just two days of deliberations. At the time, Kelly remained motionless with his eyes downcast as the verdict was read.
“Although sex was certainly a weapon that you used, this is not a case about sex. It’s a case about violence, cruelty and control,” Donnelly told him.
Through tears and anger, R. Kelly’s accusers told a court Wednesday he preyed on them and misled his fans as the fallen R&B star listened with downcast eyes as he awaited sentencing on his federal sex trafficking conviction.
The sentencing in Brooklyn marks the culmination of a stunning downfall for Mr. Kelly, 55, from a superstar hitmaker who was known as the king of R&B, to a shunned artist whose musical legacy has become inextricable from his abuses.
During a press conference after the sentencing, Breon Peace, the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York, thanked women for coming forward, saying that they were “heard and believed” and “justice was finally achieved.”
“R. Kelly is a predator and as a result of our prosecution he will serve a long jail sentence for his crimes,” he said.
Jennifer Bonjean, an attorney for Kelly, said “he’s obviously devastated” by the sentencing but noted it “didn’t come as a great big surprise.” She added that his team plans to appeal.
The women’s attorney, Gloria Allred, called Kelly a “skilled sexual predator,” and applauded the “courageous” women who came forward.
“Together they were able to fight his power by becoming empowered young women themselves,” she said during a Wednesday press conference outside of the courthouse.
“It’s been a long journey to justice, but they’ve all been very brave and sacrificing enormous amounts of time to cooperate and to testify,” she later added.
