R. Kelly found guilty of racketeering & sex trafficking charges

R. Kelly was found guilty of racketeering and eight counts of the Mann Act (a federal law about sex trafficking) by a jury in Brooklyn Federal Court on Monday (9/27). Buzzfeed reports that jurors deliberated for only nine hours to reach the verdict, and found Kelly guilty on all counts.

More from Buzzfeed:

At trial, the government laid out an expansive, detailed case to prove Kelly’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, bringing hundreds of pieces of evidence and 45 witnesses, 11 of whom were his victims. They testified, at times through tears, about how Kelly sexually, emotionally, physically, and verbally abused them, some for years. He was directly charged for crimes related to just six women — including Aaliyah, the late R&B singer Kelly married when she was 15 — but the government used evidence that he’d abused others to argue that the scope of Kelly’s actions amounted to racketeering.

Kelly, who didn't speak in his own defense at the trial, is still awaiting trial on yet more federal and state charges in Illinois and Minnesota, related to sexual abuse of a minor, federal child pornography, and prostitution.

Kelly faces decades in prison as a result of today's verdict, and sentencing is set to happen on May 4.

This is Kelly's first time facing criminal consequences after decades of allegations of sex crimes made against him. He was previously acquitted of child pornography charges in 2008.