R. Kelly was sentenced to 30 years in prison on Wednesday following his sex crime trial in New York, and while most celebrated the singer’s incarceration, some of his fans were incensed.
The “I Believe I Can Fly” hitmaker, real name Robert Sylvester Kelly, was found guilty last September of one count of racketeering and eight counts of violating an anti-sex trafficking law known as the Mann Act for leading a scheme to recruit women as well as underage girls and boys, for sex.
In Brooklyn federal court on Wednesday, Judge Ann M. Donnelly handed the musician the jail term of 30 years in addition to a $100,000 fine and five years of supervised probation if the singer makes it through his sentence.
R. Kelly will be 85 years old when he finishes his prison sentence. Judge Donnelly stated, “the public has to be protected from behaviors like this.”
Judge Donnelly spent time outlining instances of abuse and violence documented during the trial and addressed R. Kelly directly, saying: “These crimes were calculated and carefully planned and regularly executed for almost 25 years… You taught them that love is enslavement and violence.”
Federal prosecutors had urged the judge to impose a sentence “in excess of 25 years,” while his lawyer, Jennifer Bonjean, called for a sentence of under ten years before the hearing.
Bonjean said R. Kelly would appeal the verdict.
“Mr. Kelly is fine. We are excited about this appeal that we are bringing. Obviously, you know it was a hard day. He has been sentenced to a serious sentence. But we are confident in our arguments that we raised in our post-trial motions, that although they didn’t persuade the district court judge that they will persuade the court of appeals. We’ve always believed in those arguments and we believe that this enterprise was overcharged,” Bonjean said after the singer’s sentence was announced.
During the six-week trial, nine women and two men made allegations of sexual, physical, and emotional abuse against the 55-year-old, with some testifying that they were minors when the encounters began. Several women gave victim impact statements before the sentence was handed down on Wednesday.
Sexual misconduct allegations against R. Kelly date back to the 1990s. He was indicted on child pornography charges in Chicago in 2002, but a jury found him not guilty after a trial in 2008.
The #MeToo movement, a BuzzFeed investigation into parents’ claims he was mistreating their daughters, and the 2019 documentary series “Surviving R. Kelly” sparked a renewed interest in the allegations.
In addition to the New York case, Kelly is due to stand trial on August 1st in Chicago on federal charges of child pornography and obstruction of justice. He is also facing charges of soliciting a minor and prostitution in Minnesota.
Before sentencing on Wednesday, R. Kelly declined to make a statement due to the other pending cases.
#FreeRKelly
0ld didn’t like R. Kelly from the start. She is an UNFAIR, BIASED, & RACI$T Judge. She DID NOT give him fair trial. R. Kelly will appeal to higher courts. #FREERKELLY #RKELLYISINNOCENT #WRONGFULLYCONVICTED @Charislovess @SupportRkelly @SamKalsMom @iArianaKellz https://t.co/s288tGKV1u pic.twitter.com/gEhgjPuW5Z
— FREE R. KELLY!!! 🗣🗣🗣 (@freerkelly4ever) June 30, 2022
But, the white woman who had Emmett Till KILLED, MAIMED, and DISFIGURED is Still Walking around FREE!🤨
Crooked-Ass Donald Trump and his Henchmen & Henchwomen, ALL FREE!
WHO SAID white supremacy WAS FAIR?…🤔 https://t.co/cyEP9elz7l
