Breaking

R. Kelly convicted of racketeering and sex trafficking by a federal jury in New York - CNN
Sep 27, 2021 2 mins, 46 secs
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 US attorney from the Eastern District of New York.

R.

Kelly is "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," Kasulis added.

She said the victims were brave for coming forward and telling their stories.

"To the victims in this case, your voices were heard and justice was finally served," Kasulis said.

Attorney Gloria Allred, who represented three of the six victims who testified at trial, said Kelly is the worst predator she has ever pursued.

"First, he used the power of his celebrity to recruit vulnerable underage girls for the purpose of sexually abusing them.

"We said in our summation that the government cherry-picked their version that they thought would support the continuation of the narrative."

Cannick continued, "Why would he expect this verdict given all the inconsistencies that we saw?"

Kelly could face decades in prison

The jury, made up of seven men and five women, began deliberating Friday afternoon.

In all, Kelly could face decades in prison at sentencing, which is scheduled for May 4.

The verdict comes 13 years after Kelly, whose full name is Robert Sylvester Kelly, was acquitted of child pornography charges at an Illinois state trial.

An attorney for Kelly said they are considering filing an appeal and are disappointed in the verdict.

Trial began August 18

Fifty prosecution and defense witnesses took the stand during the five-week trial, including victims who were identified as "Jane Does" in Kelly's indictments.

She described fearing his angry outbursts, saying he would yell at her in public places.

A former radio intern who identified herself as Sonja testified September 9 that Kelly invited her to travel to Chicago to interview him at his studio in 2003 when she was 21 and that once she arrived, an employee put her in a room that Sonja quickly realized was "locked from the outside." She said she was kept in the room for several days, occasionally let out to go to the bathroom and shower.

He also faces criminal charges in Minnesota, for two counts of engaging in prostitution with a minor, and Illinois state charges for aggravated criminal sexual abuse.

He has pleaded not guilty to all charges and denies any wrongdoing.

The 13-count indictment released in July 2019 in the Northern District of Illinois accused Kelly of videotaping himself having sex with at least four girls younger than 18 beginning in 1998.

A few years later, after Kelly learned that some of those videos were missing from his "collection," he and others began paying "hundreds of thousands of dollars" to several people to recover them, the indictment says.

Also in 2019, a grand jury in Cook County, Illinois, indicted Kelly on 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse involving four alleged victims, three of whom were listed as younger than 17.

That indictment was followed a few months later by another one from a Cook County grand jury on 11 counts ranging from aggravated criminal sexual assault and criminal sexual assault to aggravated criminal sexual abuse.

In August 2019, the Hennepin County Attorney's Office in Minnesota announced Kelly was charged with two counts of prostitution with a person under 18.

RECENT NEWS

SUBSCRIBE

Get monthly updates and free resources.

CONNECT WITH US

© Copyright 2024 365NEWSX - All RIGHTS RESERVED