R. Kelly has been sentenced to 30 years in prison on Wednesday 29 in June, nine months after he was convicted on federal charges of racketeering and sex trafficking.
The singer of 55 years old was sentenced in New York after years of using his fame to sexually attract and exploit young aspiring singers and minors.
The former superstar of the years 90 was branded as “the Pied Piper of Hamelin of the RB” in the United States District Court, while facing several of their victims when they detailed their “deplorable and inexplicable” abuses before their verdict.
The sentencing of the musician, whose real name is Robert Sylvester Kelly, comes after a jury convicted him last year of multiple conspiracy charges related to bribery and forced labor. He was also found guilty of violating the Mann Act, against sex trafficking.
At sentencing, Judge Ann Donnelly said that Kelly had used his “accomplices” to “lure young fans into him”.
Because of this, the singer was found guilty of the nine charges against him after a six-week trial in Brooklyn, despite the fact that he pleaded not guilty to all of them.
Kelly , known for hits like ‘Bump N’ Grind’ and ‘I Believe I Can Fly’, has been held at the Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Center since his conviction.
Prosecutors had requested 25 years in prison for the musician in order to “protect the public”, while his defense requested 10 or less.
They argued that anything beyond 10 years in prison for his crimes would be indefensible ble and stated that the prosecution’s desire to see the singer locked up for 25 years was “equivalent to a life sentence”.
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