R. Kelly sentenced to 30 years in prison
After being found guilty of racketeering and sex trafficking charges last year, R. Kelly has been sentenced to 30 years in prison, the Associated Press reports. U.S. District Judge Ann Donnelley delivered the sentence on Wednesday (6/29).
Kelly, who didn't testify at his trial, didn't address the court at his sentencing, either, and his lawyers said that because his childhood involved "severed, prolonged childhood sexual abuse, poverty, and violence," he should receive a sentence of no more than 10 years in prison.
More from Associated Press:
The Brooklyn federal court jury convicted him after hearing that he used his entourage of managers and aides to meet girls and keep them obedient, an operation that prosecutors said amounted to a criminal enterprise.
Kelly, born Robert Sylvester Kelly, used his “fame, money and popularity” to systematically “prey upon children and young women for his own sexual gratification,” prosecutors wrote in a court filing earlier this month.
Several accusers testified that Kelly subjected them to perverse and sadistic whims when they were underage.
The accusers alleged they were ordered to sign nondisclosure forms and were subjected to threats and punishments such as violent spankings if they broke what one referred to as “Rob’s rules.”
Some said they believed the videotapes he shot of them having sex would be used against them if they exposed what was happening.
According to testimony, Kelly gave several accusers herpes without disclosing he had an STD, coerced a teenage boy to join him for sex with a naked girl who emerged from underneath a boxing ring in his garage, and shot a shaming video that showed one victim smearing feces on her face as punishment for breaking his rules.
Kelly is still awaiting trial on charges related to child pornography and obstruction of justice in Chicago. That's scheduled to start on August 15.