R Kelly faces sentencing over sex trafficking charges

Prosecutors described R Kelly as a predator who trapped and abused his victims for decades.(Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune via AP, Pool, File)

When a jury found R. Kelly guilty of all counts of sex trafficking, it was considered a defining moment for the #MeToo movement.

Tomorrow, Kelly will appear before a New York court to receive his sentence.

Here is the information you need to catch up on the case.

Who exactly is R Kelly?

R Kelly (full name: Robert Sylvester Kelly) is regarded as one of the most influential R&B performers of his time, having sold over 70 million records worldwide.

He is best known for his 1996 hit I Believe I Can Fly, which won three Grammy Awards and was used on the Space Jam soundtrack.

Before that, though, he had established a reputation for his R&B style with songs such as Bump & Grind and Sex Me.

In addition, he has written and produced for other performers, such as Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, and Aaliyah.

His convictions

Kelly was found guilty of all charges in his New York sex trafficking trial in September 2021.

Kelly was charged with one count of racketeering or operating a criminal business and eight counts of breaking the Mann Act, which makes it illegal to transport persons across state lines for prostitution.

Prosecutors alleged that Kelly exploited his fame and charisma to recruit victims, including some picked from performance crowds with the assistance of his entourage.

Acting United States attorney Jacquelyn Kasulis stated that the guilty decision "forever brands R Kelly as a predator, who used his fame and fortune to prey on the young, the vulnerable, and the voiceless for his sexual gratification."

During the trial, other accusers testified in detail that Kelly subjected them to bizarre and sadistic whims as minors.

According to witnesses, some victims believed Kelly could kickstart their careers, only to discover he demanded tight compliance and punished those who failed.

His claimed victims included the late singer Aaliyah, whom Kelly illegally married when she was 15 years old in 1994. Kelly's age at the time was 27.

Kelly composed and produced Aaliyah's debut album, Age Ain't Nothing But a Number, in 1994. In 2001, she perished in a plane crash at 22.

Next for him

The sentencing date for Kelly has arrived, and he faces a minimum 10-year sentence.

According to his attorneys, Kelly, incarcerated in February 2019, deserves no more than 17 years in prison under federal sentence standards.

Prosecutors, however, claim that Kelly should spend more than 25 years in prison, arguing that the 55-year-old presents a "danger" to the public, justifying his detention far into his 70s.

Indeed, "Indeed, the defendant's decades of crime appear to have been fuelled by narcissism and a belief that his musical talent absolved him of any need to conform his conduct — no matter how predatory, harmful, humiliating or abusive to others — to the strictures of the law," prosecutors wrote in a court filing.

Kelly has frequently rejected allegations of sexual abuse.

Not a first allegation for him

Kelly was one of the most notable individuals tried on sex charges during the #MeToo movement, with decades-old allegations.

In 2000, journalist Jim DeRogatis first reported the singer's alleged crimes.

Court documents then revealed the same pattern: Kelly used his celebrity to compel teenage girls into sexual activity.

Tiffany Hawkins was one of them; she sued Kelly in 1998, alleging that he mistreated her and numerous other minor girls.

The writer also broke the infamous Kelly videotape story, which purportedly showed the singer torturing and urinating on a 14-year-old girl.

This footage resulted in Kelly being charged with child pornography.

He was acquitted after a lengthy trial in which the accused victim and her parents declined to testify.

Many other women have come forward with allegations throughout the years.

What next?

Even though Kelly will be punished shortly, this story is far from over.

In addition, he faces federal allegations of child pornography and obstruction in Chicago and state counts in Illinois and Minnesota.

In that Illinois case, his co-defendants are two of his former employees.

Despite their denials, Kelly's September 2021 trial prosecutors stated that he "used [his] inner circle as his means to a criminal end."

Gloria Allred, who represents some of Kelly's accusers, was also engaged in the trials against Harvey Weinstein and Jeffrey Epstein.

But after his conviction, she stated, "Mr Kelly is the worst."

He was mistaken in his belief that he could manage the situation.

Publish : 2022-06-29 16:48:00

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