Jurors at the Federal Court in Brooklyn have convicted 54-year-old R Kelly in all nine counts in sex abuse trials including racketeering and trafficking. The R&B singer was accused of using his star power to sexually abuse underage girls and young women for several years.
The singer now faces a mandatory minimum of ten years in prison. His sentencing on May 22 may even lead him to life imprisonment. This decision comes after a crucial deliberation which eventually led to voting for the conviction. The singer, whose face was shielded with a white mask, had his head down when the verdict was being announced.
The R&B star, who goes by the full name Robert Sylvester Kelly, has had these accusations hanging over his head since the early 2000s. The #MeToo movement made these accusations heard loud and clear.
This trial showed how the jurors had a big impending task at hand to level charges against Kelly. Convicting him of racketeering involved him being found guilty for at least two of fourteen predicate acts, which means the crimes which levelled to as patterns of illegal wrongdoing. Accusations for these acts were supported by lurid testimony that proved his wrongdoings involved druggings, imprisonments and child pornography, and rape.
Prosecutors accused Kelly of taking advantage of his stardom to recruit victims. His method had him randomly picking some girls from the crowd. Several witnesses came forward and accused the singer of giving false hope to victims of helping them in their careers only to abuse them mentally, emotionally and physically.
Kelly’s lawyer, Deveraux Cannicktold, told reporters after the verdict that they were disappointed with the outcome and would consider appealing later.
