Feb 22, 2019; Chicago, Il, USA; A handout booking photo provided by the Chicago Police Department of R&B singer R. Kelly who's official name is Robert Kelly. Kelly turned himself in and was arrested after being charged with 10 alleged counts of class two felony criminal sexual abuse ranging from 1998 to 2010. Mandatory Credit: Handout Photo/Chicago Police Department via USA TODAY NETWORK
News: R. Kelly Booking Photo
NEW YORK (AP) — R. Kelly has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for using his R&B superstardom to subject young fans to systematic sexual abuse.
The singer and songwriter was convicted of racketeering and sex trafficking last year at a trial that gave voice to accusers who had once wondered if their stories were ignored because they were Black women. U.S. District Judge Ann Donnelly imposed the sentence at a courthouse in Brooklyn.
The sentence caps a slow-motion fall for Kelly, who is 55. He remained adored by legions of fans even after allegations about his abuse of young girls began circulating publicly in the 1990s.
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