A federal appeals court on Wednesday upheld R. Kelly’s 30-year prison sentence for sex trafficking and racketeering, rejecting his claims that prosecutors failed to prove he led a criminal enterprise that sexually exploited young women and underage girls. Image: Los Angeles Time.
(The Post News)– A federal appeals court on Wednesday upheld R. Kelly’s 30-year sentence for sex trafficking and racketeering, rejecting his contentions that prosecutors failed to prove he led a criminal enterprise that sexually exploited young women and underage girls.
The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan ruled that the Grammy Award-winning R&B singer’s convictions were supported by overwhelming evidence recounting how he recruited, secluded, and manipulated victims for decades.
R. Kelly’s attorneys had argued that his prosecution inappropriately expanded the scope of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organisations Act (RICO), normally used against organised crime. The decision was characterised by his lawyer, Jennifer Bonjean, as “unprecedented” and suggested an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.
However, the three-judge appeals panel decided R. Kelly, 58, orchestrated a widespread operation, with the help of his entourage, to victimise and exploit victims. “He trapped young women and girls in his world, dictated their lives, and purchased their compliance by words and fists, blackmail threats, and humiliation,” wrote Circuit Judge Denny Chin in the court opinion.
The court also affirmed the testimony of several victims, such as proof of R. Kelly exposing women to herpes knowingly without notice. The judges ruled that it was not “arbitrary nor irrational” to allow jurors to hear from several accusers or view graphic videos used as evidence.
R. Kelly’s 2021 Brooklyn federal court conviction was a #MeToo era landmark case. He was found guilty on racketeering charges and multiple Mann Act counts, which include transporting a person across state lines for illegal sex.
His criminal issues are broader than that case—he was convicted in 2022 in Chicago on charges of child sex, including child sexual abuse image production. The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear his appeal of his 20-year sentence in the case a year ago.
After being among the top-selling R&B artists of his era, R. Kelly hit the top of the charts with hits like I Believe I Can Fly and Trapped in the Closet. Despite decades of allegations, he was still a musical powerhouse until public outrage escalated after the 2019 Surviving R. Kelly documentary came out. R. Kelly is currently serving his sentence at Butner Federal Correctional Complex in North Carolina. He will be eligible for release in 2045 at the age of 78.
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