RULE OF LAWUNITED STATES OF AMERICA
R. Kelly sentence extended over child abuse images
2 hours ago2 hours ago
The disgraced R&B artist was sentenced on charges of possession of child sex abuse images and enticement of a minor. Kelly is already serving a 30-year prison term for racketeering and sex trafficking.
https://p.dw.com/p/4NuO3
US recording artist R. Kelly will serve additional time in prison, a federal judge in Chicago ruled on Thursday.
What do we know about the ruling?
The disgraced R&B artist was given a 20-year prison term on the charges of possessing child sex abuse images and enticement of a minor.
Kelly is already serving a 30-year prison sentence on racketeering and sex trafficking charges, which he was given by a federal court in New York City.
US District Judge Harry D. Leinenweber in Chicago said Thursday that 19 years of the 20-year prison term could be served simultaneously with the New York sentence.
After he finishes the New York term, Leinenweber said, Kelly would serve one additional year in jail, giving him 31 years in prison in total. This means the 56-year-old singer would be freed in his 80s.
Leinenweber rejected the government’s claims that Kelly had used fear as a weapon to solicit young girls for sex.
“The (government’s) whole theory of grooming, was sort of the opposite of fear of bodily harm,” Leinenweber said during hearings. “It was the fear of lost love, lost affections (from Kelly)… It just doesn’t seem to me that it rises to the fear of bodily harm.”
R. Kelly taking part in criminal court proceedings in Chicago in 2019R. Kelly taking part in criminal court proceedings in Chicago in 2019
R. Kelly’s abusers say he used his fame to engage in despicable acts towards themImage: Antonio Perez/TNS/ZUMA/picture alliance
Prosecutors say that if the Chicago federal court would have lengthened R. Kelly’s sentence any further, it would lessen the chances he would get out of prison alive.
Yet, they argue that Kelly crimes towards minors and lack of remorse merit a grave punishment for the singer. The prosecutors had urged Kelly serve a 25 years in prison on top of his current 30-year sentence.
Kelly’s victims spoke out during the Chicago trial, with one victim named “Jane” saying the rapper had destroyed her dreams.
Kelly’s lawyer, Jennifer Bonjean, has filed an appeal over his federal convictions in New York and Chicago. Kelly is currently serving his prison time in the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Chicago.
R. Kelly’s chart-topping career marred by controversy
Kelly, whose full name is Robert Sylvester Kelly, first rose to prominence in the 1990s. He earned multiple Grammy Awards for his song “I Believe I Can Fly,” which was featured in the 1996 basketball film “Space Jam.”
His 2002 song “Ignition (Remix)” also topped the charts not only in the US, but also Australia, New Zealand and several countries.
Controversy had surrounded R. Kelly even early on his career. In 1994, Kelly illegally married underage singer Aaliyah, who was only 15 years old at the time. That relationship was confirmed in 2021, roughly two decades after Aaliyah had died in a plane crash.
Kelly was also sued by a woman for causing emotional distress in 1996. In 2017 and 2018, further R.Kelly victims came forward to journalists.
In February 2019, lawyer Michael Avenatti said a video showed Kelly sexually abusing an underage girl, leading to criminal charges. That year, Kelly was hit with sex trafficking and prostitution charges, contributing further to the singer’s downfall in the eyes of the public.
wd/sms (AP, AFP)
