The singer R. Kelly was correctly sentenced to 20 years in prison on child sex convictions in Chicago, a federal appeals court ruled Friday. Jurors in 2022 convicted the Grammy Award-winning R&B singer, born Robert Sylvester Kelly, on three charges of producing child porn and three charges of enticement of minors for sex.
Quick Read
- Upheld Sentence: A federal appeals court upheld R. Kelly’s 20-year prison sentence for child sex convictions in Chicago, affirming the decision made in 2022.
- Convictions: Kelly was convicted on three charges of producing child pornography and three charges of enticing minors for sex.
- Appeal Arguments: In his appeal, Kelly argued that Illinois’ previous, shorter statute of limitations on child sex crimes should have applied, and that charges involving one accuser should have been tried separately due to controversial video evidence.
- Court’s Rejection: The appeals court rejected these arguments, noting that Kelly was trying to avoid the charges after suppressing evidence through a complex scheme. The court also emphasized that Kelly was acquitted on 7 of the 13 counts, despite the disturbing nature of the evidence presented.
- Testimony and Evidence: The case included testimony from an accuser, referred to as Jane, who stated she was 14 when a video showing Kelly abusing her was taken.
- Simultaneous Sentences: The judge ordered that the 20-year sentence for the Chicago case be served concurrently with a 30-year sentence from a New York case, where Kelly was convicted of federal racketeering and sex trafficking.
- Further Appeals: Kelly has also appealed the sentence from his New York conviction, with his attorney arguing that prosecutors misused a racketeering statute intended for organized crime to prosecute him.
- Prosecution’s Request: Prosecutors had sought a harsher 25-year sentence in the Chicago case and wanted it to begin after the completion of the New York sentence, a request the judge denied.
The Associated Press has the story:
Chicago appeals court rejects R. Kelly’s challenge of 20-year sentence
Newslooks- CHICAGO (AP) —
The singer R. Kelly was correctly sentenced to 20 years in prison on child sex convictions in Chicago, a federal appeals court ruled Friday.
Jurors in 2022 convicted the Grammy Award-winning R&B singer, born Robert Sylvester Kelly, on three charges of producing child porn and three charges of enticement of minors for sex.
In his appeal, Kelly argued that Illinois’ former and shorter statute of limitations on child sex prosecutions should have applied to his Chicago case rather than current law permitting charges while an accuser is still alive.
He also argued that charges involving one accuser should have been tried separately from the charges tied to three other accusers due to video evidence that became a focal point of the Chicago trial.
State prosecutors have said the video showed Kelly abusing a girl. The accuser identified only as Jane testified for the first time that she was 14 when the video was taken.
The three-judge panel from the Chicago-based 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Friday’s ruling noted that jurors acquitted Kelly on 7 of the 13 counts against him “even after viewing those abhorrent tapes.”
The appeals court also rejected Kelly’s argument that he should not have been prosecuted since the allegations occurred while Illinois law required prosecution of child sex crime charges within ten years. The panel labeled it an attempt by Kelly to elude the charges entirely after “employing a complex scheme to keep victims quiet.”
Kelly’s attorney Jennifer Bonjean did not immediately respond to a message left with her office seeking comment on Kelly’s behalf.
Prosecutors in Kelly’s hometown of Chicago had sought an even tougher sentence, asking for 25 years. They also wanted a judge to not let that time begin until after Kelly completed a 30-year sentence imposed in 2022 in New York for federal racketeering and sex trafficking convictions.
Judge Harry Leinenweber rejected that ask, ordering that Kelly serve the 20 years from the Chicago case simultaneously with the New York sentence.
Kelly has separately appealed the New York sentence.
In arguments last month before the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, attorney Jennifer Bonjean asked the panel to find that prosecutors improperly used a racketeering statute written to shut down organized crime to go after the singer.
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