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R. Kelly, here during a hearing at the Leighton Courthouse in Chicago on September 17, 2019.
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UNITED STATES – R. Kelly, a fallen R&B star already sentenced to 30 years in prison in June for sexual crimes committed against young women, some of them teenagers, was found guilty of child pornography on Wednesday, September 14 in Chicago.
Robert Sylvester Kelly, 55, was convicted of producing child pornography and misappropriating a minor.
The singer, known throughout the world for his success I believe I Can Fly and his 75 million records sold, he was acquitted by a federal jury on other obstruction of justice counts.
He and two former partners – also acquitted on Wednesday – were accused of interrupting the course of his 2008 child pornography trial, in which the jury found him not guilty.
They were accused of threatening and bribing a victim, who did not then testify. Now 37, she spoke this time.
During the trial, excerpts of videos were broadcast showing R. Kelly’s sexual assault on girls, one of whom was only 14 years old.
It took the 12-person jury about 11 hours to reach this verdict, which could add a hefty prison sentence to the 30-year prison sentence to which R. Kelly has already been sentenced.
A pain “Ten to 90 years of imprisonment”
His sentence, which will be fixed at a later date, could range from “Ten to 90 years of imprisonment”the prosecutor said in a statement.
The verdict “Holds Robert Kelly responsible for the sexual violence committed against a 14-year-old girl”said Attorney John Lausch.
“The suffering inflicted by Mr. Kelly on his victims is immense”he added, welcoming the “strength, determination and courage” of those who testified at the trial.
The artist had already been found guilty in September 2021 in New York of piloting a “system” sexual exploitation of young people, including adolescents.
This lawsuit was considered an important step in the #MeToo movement: it was the first time that most of the plaintiffs were black women and they accused a black artist.
For decades, R. Kelly’s success had been clouded by suspicions of sexual assault, the subject of persistent rumors. He had long since managed to silence them with financial agreements that included confidentiality clauses.
Back in 2017, two women, Kenyette Barnes and Oronike Odeleye, called for a boycott of her songs, sharing the hashtag “Mute R. Kelly” (“Shut up R. Kelly”).
Victims that were made “indoctrinate” in the middle “sordid” de R.Kelly
In January 2019, the documentary series Survived R. Kelly he had driven in the nail. Several victims described the singer as manipulative, violent and obsessed with very young girls.
During the trial in New York, the victims had described the tactic used by the singer to attract very young women using his celebrity, and with the complicity of those around him.
Many of them had met the star at concerts, after which they were slipped a small piece of paper with R. Kelly’s contact details.
He would do something for their musical career, he was promised.
Instead, they were doing “indoctrinate” in the middle “sordid” by R. Kelly, were forced into sexual intercourse and maintained in it “system” from “Coercive measures”according to the indictment.
The singer had managed to rise to the top of the music industry despite his tumultuous personal life, including his later canceled marriage to his 15-year-old protégé, singer Aaliyah.
R. Kelly had written and produced the late artist’s debut album in 2001, Age is nothing more than a number (Age is just a number).
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