R. Kelly has been sentenced to 30 years in prison. Image Source: Variety 

R. Kelly has been sentenced to 30 years in prison.

R. Kelly was found guilty of racketeering and sex trafficking on Wednesday, and U.S. District Judge Ann Donnelly revealed the verdict, which indicated that Kelly had been given a 30-year jail term. The decision was made nine months after R. Kelly was found guilty by a federal jury in Brooklyn of one count of racketeering and eight Mann Act violations after hearing testimony from almost 45 witnesses. In addition, he received a $100,000 fine and five years of supervised release.

R. Kelly habitually carried out the crimes for over 25 years, according to Judge Ann Donnelly, who also accused the R&B singer and songwriter of teaching the young people that love equals servitude and violence. The judge went on to say that the case was not about sex but rather about brutality, cruelty, and control and that R. Kelly had left a path of shattered lives in his wake.

R. Kelly, real name Robert Sylvester Kelly, was charged with child pornography production, bribery, forced labor, kidnapping, and intentionally infecting some accusers with sexually transmitted illnesses.

Before the sentence was announced, a group of survivors, including Angela, who had testified during the trial, which took place last year and lasted about six weeks, took the stand on Wednesday once again to read victim impact statements. She said to R. Kelly that he used his fame and power to groom and coach underage boys and girls for his sexual gratification and mentioned that they are no longer the preyed upon individuals as they were once. Angela said that with every addition of a new victim, his wickedness grew and today, with the verdict, the survivors have reclaimed their names and said that she hopes God reaches his soul.

R. Kelly, was charged with child pornography production, bribery, forced labor, kidnapping, and intentionally infecting some accusers with sexually transmitted illnesses. Image Source: Teen Vogue

Another survivor who identified herself as Addie stated that she asked to not use her name in court for fear of retaliation and recalled that she had attended a concert in September 1994 where she had an encounter with R. Kelly and later he sexually assaulted her. She remained silent for decades but now says that she regrets it and explains that the last four years have been a rude awakening of how her silence has hurt others. The third accuser and survivor, who was identified as Lizette Martinez, and who was featured in the documentary Surviving R. Kelly, gave a witness statement in which she said that January 1995 changed her life forever.

Lizette explained that she was 17 years old when she met R. Kelly in a mall, and the singer promised to mentor her budding musical career. He started to abuse her two months later, and she described that she could not put a price on everything she had been through. Lizette, who is 45 years old now, said that she is a mother and she struggled with mental health issues. She concluded by stating that Robert had destroyed so many people’s lives. Another survivor, identified as Jane Doe No. 2, said that R. Kelly would return sweaty from his basketball games and would ask her to perform oral sex on him. She added that the singer would do things to her that she planned to take to her grave.

Stephanie, another victim, said that she hoped that R. Kelly goes to jail for the rest of his life before stating that he made her do things that broke her spirit and she wished that she was dead because of the way he made her feel.

Federal prosecutors from the Eastern District of New York published their proposal for the R&B singer's sentence in a letter that was filed on June 8th. They stated that they thought there were more than enough grounds and supporting evidence to sentence him to more than 25 years in prison. According to the authorities, R. Kelly believed that his musical ability exempted him from having to comply with his behavior, regardless of how predatory, hurtful, degrading, or abusive it was to others.

Simply put, R.Kelly's crimes were calculated, methodical, and part of a long-standing pattern of using his platform as an outsized musical persona and his extensive network to approach teenagers, many of whom were especially vulnerable, and then utilizing them for personal gain and sexual fulfillment. He carried out his crimes and went unpunished for over 30 years; he must finally be held accountable.

R. Kelly's allegations and accusations began to swirl after she was acquitted of child pornography charges in 2008, and he was arrested in 2019 on charges of traveling throughout the United States and abroad to perform at concert venues and recruit women and girls to engage in illegitimate sexual activity with him.

The "I Believe I Can Fly" singer allegedly put many regulations in place for his victims, including "not being allowed to leave their room without permission, including to eat or use the restroom," and "not being allowed to look at other males," and "being obliged to call Kelly 'Daddy.'" Among the claimed victims was the late singer Aaliyah, whom R. Kelly, according to the prosecution, illegally wed at the age of 15 to cover up past abuse.

Kelly's defense attorneys claimed that he should spend no more than 10 years, the legal minimum and that he no longer presented a threat since his background of abuse as a kid may have contributed to his adult "hypersexuality." Before the sentence was handed down, Kelly's attorney Jennifer Bonjean stated, that this court must discern between what is boorish and terrible behavior, and what is criminal activity and they are planning to appeal the verdict. Kelly has been detained since July of this year and will probably be sent shortly to the Chicago prison, where a federal court trial on child pornography and obstruction charges is scheduled for August. In Illinois and Minnesota, he is also charged with several state crimes.

According to Gerald Griggs, an attorney for some of the victims, his clients are pleased with the decision. For many of the accusers and their families, the path has been long, according to Griggs. Gerald said some of the clients have been in litigation for 20 years, while others have been battling since 2017. Black women's voices today were heard clearly and loudly. They are anxiously expecting the punishment as well as the results of his three prior trials since this is a procedure to bring about justice. Robert Sylvester Kelly received justice today.

Information Source: Entertainment Tonight