O. Adejo
R. Kelly has been sentenced to 30 years in federal prison on sex-related charges.
Following a nearly six-week trial, the popular US singer was sentenced on Wednesday after being convicted of racketeering and sex trafficking in September last year.
The judge, Ann M. Donnelly, delivered the verdict in federal court in Brooklyn, New York, after hearing from several survivors who testified about how Kelly’s exploitation affected them.
“You were a person with great advantages — worldwide fame and celebrity, as well as untold wealth,” the judge said.
“You took advantage of their hopes and dreams by trapping teenagers in your home.”
“As the leader of your organisation, you raped and beat them, separated them from their families, and forced them to do unspeakable things.”
Prosecutors had requested at least 25 years in prison.
His legal team argued that he should be sentenced to no more than ten years because he is “not currently a risk to the public.”
The embattled singer, 55, has been detained for months while awaiting his sex trafficking sentencing.
R Kelly is also on trial in Chicago for child sex images and obstruction.
The trial is scheduled to start in August.
R Kelly has been accused of sexual abuse of young adults and minors on numerous occasions since the 1990s.
The assault allegations against Kelly gained widespread attention following the 2019 Lifetime documentary ‘Surviving R Kelly,’ which investigated claims that Kelly’s entourage protected Kelly and silenced his victims for decades.
Kelly was arrested in Chicago by federal authorities in 2019 and transferred to New York in June 2021.
The singer, best known for her 1996 smash hit “I Believe I Can Fly,” has always denied any wrongdoing.
R Kelly sentenced to 30 years in prison on sex charges