One of the greatest RnB artists of the 90s and early 2000s risks life in prison.
Kelly got a huge name in music, especially after the song “I believe I can fly”. Now, however, he will be known for completely different things than music. The 54-year-old was charged with several assaults, and the trial against him ended last week. In the final proceedings, prosecutor Elizabeth Geddes said that Kelly could use the minors without penalty by controlling her staff – drivers, bodyguards and assistants, with an iron fist. Together, they formed an organized criminal network.
– The accused made the rules, lots of rules, and demanded total obedience, she said and described how the employees systematically recruited potential victims at concerts and at shopping malls and fast food restaurants, the prosecutor said.
Geddes summed up six weeks with testimonies from 45 witnesses and other evidence in the final proceedings.
Here it clicks completely for the superstar:
Imprisoned since 2019
R. Kelly has been imprisoned in New York since 2019, and witnesses said during the trial that once caught in the net, they were prepared for sex and psychological abuse, so-called grooming, most often while they were teenagers, all the way back to 1990- the number.
54-year-old Kelly denies the charge of leading an organized criminal network, claiming that the victims who testified against him are groupies who were looking to exploit his wealth and fame, until the metoo movement turned them against him.
Also read: R. Kelly charged with sexual assault
The trial against the 54-year-old, who has been in custody since he was charged, started in mid-August and lasted for about a month. According to today’s ruling, R. Kelly risks life in prison, if he is found guilty of all charges. A verdict is expected in the spring of 2022.
Sold over 75 million
R. Kelly, or Robert Sylvester Kelly, as he is actually called, is considered one of the greatest artists in the RnB genre. He has sold over 75 million records during his career, and was named by the American music magazine Billboard as the most successful RnB artist in history.
The 54-year-old won three Grammy Awards for “I believe I can fly” in 1998, and the artist has received a total of 25 nominations for the most prestigious award in the music industry.
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