New Delhi: 'R&B' star R. Kelly was sentenced to a 30-year jail on Sunday for leveraging his fame to repeatedly sexually assault young followers, some of whom were minors and children.
According to Variety, Robert Sylvester Kelly, was found guilty of racketeering and eight charges of breaking the Mann Act, which forbids moving persons between states for prostitution. 45 witnesses testified for the government, and he has been imprisoned since July, 2019. He is still facing accusations in Chicago of child pornography and obstructing the course of justice, in addition to charges from state courts in Illinois and Minnesota.
A six-week trail revealed how Kelly had used workers and intermediaries to entice fans and aspiring singers into sexually abusing and controlling conditions, including locking them in rooms without food or access to a bathroom, for days. Kelly, one of the most successful hitmakers of the 1990s and early 2000s was found guilty of all nine courts against him, in September.
Given Kelly's persistent threat to the public and obvious lack of remorse for allegedly leveraging his popularity to sexually and emotionally abuse his victims, many of whom were minors, federal prosecutors had requested a term of "in excess of 25 years."
Even though Kelly had been found guilty of planning to recruit women, underage girls and men for sex, his lawyer, Jennifer Bonjean, who also represented Bill Cosby in his successful appeal of a sexual assault conviction last year, argued for a minimum sentence for 10 years in prison, claiming that the singer's own abuse as a child may have contributed to his 'hypersexuality' in life.
Angela, the first victim to speak, stood at a lectern and addressed Kelly directly as she described him as a Pied Piper who seduced youngsters with his wealthy and notoriety.
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