R. Kelly
After decades of accusations and allegations of illegal and disturbing sexual activities, disgraced R&B star R. Kelly has been formally found guilty of racketeering and sex trafficking. According to CNN, a New York jury has convicted Kelly of nine counts in total, one of racketeering, with 14 underlying acts including sexual exploitation of a child, kidnapping, bribery and sex trafficking charges, along with eight additional counts of violations of the Mann Act, a sex trafficking law. The six-week trial included testimony about sexual abuse from 45 prosecution witnesses in total.
“Today’s guilty verdict forever brands R. Kelly as a predator, who used his fame and fortune to prey on the young, the vulnerable and the voiceless for his own sexual gratification,” said Jacquelyn Kasulis, Acting U.S. Attorney from the Eastern District of New York. She continued, describing Kelly as “a predator who used his inner circle to ensnare underage girls and young men and women for decades, in a sordid web of sex abuse, exploitation and humiliation.”
Sentencing for Kelly is scheduled for May 4 of next year and he could face decades, or even life, in prison. The verdict comes 13 years after Kelly was acquitted of child pornography charges in Illinois.
