R. Kelly appears during a hearing at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse on Sept. 17, 2019 in Chicago. (Photo by Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune/TNS/Sipa USA)
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BROOKLYN, NY (77WABC) – On Monday, after two years of delays including a pandemic and numerous legal challenges, a jury found Grammy award-winning singer-songwriter R. Kelly guilty on all nine counts he was facing.
Kelly, 54, was convicted on all the charges he faced in Brooklyn federal court. The charges include racketeering based on sexual exploitation of children, kidnapping, forced labor, and violations of the Mann Act, which bars the transport of people across state lines for sex. Kelly’s defense team argued that the singer’s sexual exploits were all consensual and that those who spoke out against the singer were looking for a pay-day.
The trial spanned six weeks and included more than 50 witnesses. The R&B singer is now facing decades in prison. This is not including other pending federal and state charges related to the abuse of women and girls in Chicago and Minnesota.
His sentencing will take place on May 4th.
