R. Kelly sentenced to 1 further 12 months in jail in Illinois intercourse abuse case

CHICAGO — Disgraced musician R. Kelly was sentenced to 1 further 12 months in jail by an Illinois federal choose Thursday, practically 5 months after he was convicted of sexual exploitation and enticement of a minor. 

The sentence is to be served after the 30 years Kelly, 56, is serving after being discovered responsible of racketeering and intercourse trafficking by a New York jury in 2021.

Kelly, whose authorized title is Robert Sylvester Kelly, was convicted final 12 months on six counts of sexual exploitation and enticement of a minor in a case stemming from the complaints of girls who stated he lured them into intercourse acts whereas they had been underage.

Federal prosecutors had requested U.S. District Decide Harry Leinenweber for the Northern District of Illinois to condemn Kelly to 25 years in jail, saying final week that the musician was “sadistic” and “a serial sexual predator” who “poses a severe hazard to society.” Kelly’s lawyer requested a sentence of round 10 years to be served alongside the New York sentence.

Leinenweber’s full sentence consists of 19 years to be served concurrent with the New York sentence.

The choose stated he believed “sentencing must be adequate however not larger than vital,” including that “everyone agrees that the character of this offense is horrible, horrific.” 

In courtroom filings earlier than Thursday’s listening to, prosecutors had stated {that a} sentence that stored Kelly imprisoned for all times was “the one approach to make sure Kelly doesn’t reoffend.”

However his lawyer Jennifer Bonjean, stated he was already serving what was successfully a life sentence.

“Kelly must defy all statistical odds to make it out of jail alive,” Bonjean stated in a courtroom submitting final week.

Kelly had confronted 13 counts, together with expenses of sexual exploitation of a minor, receipt of kid pornography, enticement of a minor to interact in illegal sexual conduct, conspiring to impede justice and conspiring to obtain little one pornography within the Illinois trial. He was acquitted on seven counts, together with all the expenses associated to conspiracy.

The singer was tried alongside two co-defendants, his former enterprise supervisor Derrel McDavid and his affiliate Milton “June” Brown, who had been each discovered not responsible on all expenses.

Prosecutors centered their case round a star witness, recognized by the pseudonym Jane in courtroom, who recognized herself because the individual in a 26-minute videotape despatched anonymously to the Chicago Solar-Instances in 2002 that allegedly confirmed Kelly performing intercourse acts with an underage woman.

In emotional testimony, Jane, now 38, stated the singer started having intercourse along with her when she was 15 and he was in his 30s and continued to take action “a whole bunch” of occasions earlier than she turned 18. 

A number of different alleged victims additionally testified that the singer groomed and manipulated them into sexual relationships, some which had been recorded, whereas they had been underage.

Earlier than the sentence was handed down, an lawyer for Jane learn her sufferer impression assertion aloud in courtroom.

“I’ve misplaced my dignity because of Robert Kelly,” the assertion stated. “I’ve misplaced my desires because of R. Kelly, I’ve misplaced my teenage years because of Robert Kelly.”

She requested that Kelly be “put in jail for the remainder of his pure born life.”