#Breaking: R. Kelly is sentenced to 30 years in federal prison and a $100,000 fine.
The breakdown of sentences (be served concurrently):
Count 1: 360 months
Counts 3, 4, 5, 7, 9: 20 years
Counts 2, 6, 8: 10 years— Sierra Gillespie (@sierragillespie) June 29, 2022
Law & Crime
When opening statements in his trial kicked off in August 2021, Assistant U.S. Attorney Maria Cruz Melendez told jurors: “This case is about a predator.”
The government called some 45 witnesses over the course of the trial and submitted hundreds of exhibits to advance that case. Prosecutors argued that the “I Believe I Can Fly” crooner’s inner circle of business managers, security guards and bouncers, runners, lawyers, accountants, and assistants conspired to perpetuate the cycle of abuse, providing the backdrop to prosecute the case as a criminal enterprise.
“R. Kelly used his fame, fortune and enablers to prey on the young, the vulnerable and the voiceless for his own sexual gratification, while many turned a blind eye,” Eastern District of New York U.S. Attorney Breon Peace wrote in a statement. “Through his actions, Kelly exhibited a callous disregard for the devastation his crimes had on his victims and has shown no remorse for his conduct. With today’s sentence he has finally and appropriately been held accountable for his decades of abuse, exploitation and degradation of teenagers and other vulnerable young people.”
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R. Kelly Receives a 30-Year Prison Sentence for His Racketeering and Sex Trafficking Convictions
