R&B star R. Kelly has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for using his superstar to subject young fans, some only children, to systematic sexual abuse.
The 55-year-old singer and songwriter was convicted of extortion and sex trafficking last year in a trial that gave voice to accusers who had once wondered if their stories were being ignored because they were black women.
U.S. District Judge Ann Donnelly imposed the sentence after hearing several survivors testify to how Kelly’s exploitation affected their lives.
An archive photo of R. Kelly during a hearing at Leighton Criminal Court in Chicago in 2019. (AP)
Between tears and anger, R. Kelly’s accusers told the court on Wednesday that he had taken advantage of them and tricked his fans as the fallen R&B star listened to him with downcast eyes.
“You made me do things that broke my spirit. I literally wanted to die because of the bass you made me feel,” a woman told the Grammy-winning, multiplatinum singer.
A Brooklyn federal court jury last fall found Kelly, 55, guilty of extract and other charges in a trial that was seen as a key moment in the #MeToo movement.
Outrage over Kelly’s sexual misconduct with young women and children was fueled in part by the much-watched Surviving R. Kelly docuserie, which gave voice to accusers wondering if her stories were previously ignored because they were black women. .
Lizzette Martinez, author of “Jane Doe # 9 How I Survived R.Kelly,” arrives at the federal court in New York. (AP)
Kelly manipulated millions of fans into believing he was someone other than the man the jury saw, another accuser said.
The victims “have sought to be heard and recognized,” he said. “We are no longer the predated individuals we were before.”
A third woman, sobbing and sniffing as she spoke, said Kelly’s conviction restored her faith in the legal system.
“I once lost hope,” he said, addressing the court and prosecutors, “but you restored my faith.”
The woman said Kelly victimized her after going to a concert when she was 17 years old.
“He was scared, naive and didn’t know how to handle the situation,” he said, so he didn’t comment at the time.
Attorney Jennifer Bonjean arrives at the federal court in New York’s Brooklyn neighborhood. (AP)
“The silence,” he said, “is a very lonely place.”
Kelly kept her hands folded and looked down as she listened.
He did not go to court.
Defense argued for 10 years or less
Prosecutors had asked for a minimum sentence of 25 years, while the defense said a sentence of 10 years or less was all it deserved.
An archive photograph of R. Kelly arriving at the Cook County Criminal Court building in Chicago in 2008. (AP)
Kelly’s lawyers argued in court documents that she should rest in part because “she lived a traumatic childhood that involved sexual abuse, poverty and violence during severe and prolonged childhood.”
They added: “His victimization continued into adulthood where, due to his literacy deficiencies, the accused has been repeatedly defrauded and financially abused, often by the people he paid to protect him.” .
The Grammy-winning, multi-platinum creator is known for his work on the 1996 hit I Believe I Can Fly and the cult classic Trapped in the Closet, a story in various parts of the betrayal and sexual intrigue.
Allegations that Kelly was abusing young girls began circulating publicly in the 1990s. He was sued in 1997 by a woman who alleged sexual assault and sexual harassment while a minor, and later faced criminal charges of child pornography related to a different girl in Chicago. A jury there acquitted him in 2008 and resolved the lawsuit.
An artist sketch by R. Kelly as he listens as the head of the jury reads the verdict against him on September 27, 2021. (AP)
All the while, Kelly continued to sell millions of albums.
The Brooklyn federal court jury convicted him after learning how he used his environment of managers and aides to meet girls and keep them obedient, according to prosecutors of an operation equivalent to a criminal enterprise.
Several prosecutors testified that Kelly subjected them to perverse and sadistic whims when they were minors.
“He used fame, money and popularity for the dam”
Kelly, born Robert Sylvester Kelly, used his “fame, money and popularity” to “systematically take advantage of children and young women for their own sexual gratification,” prosecutors wrote in their own presentation earlier. of this month.
Prosecutors alleged that they were ordered to sign confidentiality forms and were subjected to threats and punishments such as violent beatings if they violated what was called “Rob’s rules.”
Some said they believed the videotapes he filmed of them having sex would be used against them if they exposed what was happening.
According to the witness, Kelly gave herpes to several accusers without revealing that she had an STD, coerced a teenager into joining him for sex with a naked girl who came out from under a boxing ring in his garage and he recorded an embarrassing video of a victim showing it. anointing his face as punishment for breaking his rules.
An archive photo of R. Kelly during a hearing at Leighton Criminal Court in Chicago in 2019. (AP)
Kelly has denied any wrongdoing. He did not testify at his trial, but his lawyers at the time portrayed his accusers as brides and groupies who were not forced to do anything against his will and stayed with him because they enjoyed the advantages of his style. of life.
Evidence was also presented about a fraudulent marriage scheme created to protect Kelly after she feared she had permeated the Aaliyah R&B phenomenon in 1994 when she was just 15 years old. Witnesses said they married matching jogging suits with a license that falsely listed their age of 18; he was 27 at the time.
Aaliyah worked with Kelly, who wrote and produced her 1994 debut album, Age Ain’t Nothing But A Number. He died in a plane crash in 2001 at the age of 22.
An earlier defense note suggested that prosecutors’ arguments for a higher sentence had been overturned by falsely claiming that Kelly was involved in paying a bribe to a government official in order to facilitate illegal marriage. .
Kelly’s lawyers also said it was wrong to say she should have more time because she sexually abused one of her victims, known in court as “Jane,” after her parents innocently confided in her to help her. with his musical career.
The team of the prosecution of the trial against R. Kelly is escorted by federal agents when they arrive at the federal court in the Brooklyn district of New York. (AP)
“The record shows that Jane’s parents told Jane to lie to the accused about her age and then encouraged her to seduce him,” the newspapers say.
Kelly has been jailed without bail since 2019. He still faces charges of child pornography and obstruction of justice in Chicago, where a trial is scheduled to begin on August 15.