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R. KELLY GUILTY: Sex Trafficking, Faces Life In Prison
R. Kelly found guilty on all counts in sex-trafficking trial
R. Kelly was found guilty Monday of sexually abusing women, boys and girls for decades — capping the ’90s R&B superstar’s stunning fall from grace.
The “I Believe I Can Fly” crooner, 54, was convicted on all nine counts including racketeering and violations of the Mann Act, which prohibits the transport of “any woman or girl” across state lines for any “immoral purpose.”
He faces 10 years to life in prison.
The jury of seven men and five women deliberated for about nine hours across two days before reaching their unanimous verdict.
From the beginning of the month-long trial in the federal courthouse in downtown Brooklyn, prosecutors painted Kelly as a “predator” who used his fame and a cadre of employees to prey on young victims.
“This case is not about a celebrity who likes to party a lot,” Assistant US Attorney Maria Cruz Melendez said in her opening statement last month.
“This case is about a predator,” she said.
Read more on The New York Post…
R. Kelly’s stunning fall from grace came to its bitter end Monday as jurors found the notorious “Pied Piper of R&B” guilty at his Brooklyn Federal Court sex trafficking trial.
The jury deliberated for a total of nine hours before reaching its verdict finding him guilty on nine counts that carry a maximum of life in prison.
Kelly did not move as the jurors read out the verdict, staring at his feet and at times closing his eyes. He stood and buttoned up his suit as the jurors exited the courtroom, maintaining his composure.
Jurors listened to the testimony of 11 accusers and more than 40 witnesses.
R. Kelly, the R&B superstar known for his anthem “I Believe I Can Fly,” was convicted Monday in a sex trafficking trial after decades of avoiding criminal responsibility for numerous allegations of misconduct with young women and children.
A jury of seven men and five women found Kelly, 54, guilty of all nine counts, including racketeering, on their second day of deliberations. Kelly, wearing a face mask, remained motionless, eyes downcast as the verdict was read in federal court in Brooklyn.
Prosecutors alleged that the entourage of managers and aides who helped Kelly meet girls — and keep them obedient and quiet — amounted to a criminal enterprise. Two people have been charged with Kelly in a separate federal case that’s pending in Chicago.
Kelly was also convicted of criminal counts accusing him of violating the Mann Act, which makes it illegal to take anyone across state lines “for any immoral purpose.”
“To the victims in this case, your voices were heard and justice was finally served,” Acting U.S. Attorney Jacquelyn Kasulis said.