Not so good news for R.Kelly. In a recent ruling by the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago, his 2022 conviction for child abuse has been upheld, dashing the singer’s hopes of reducing his prison sentence.
Kelly’s attempt to shorten his 20-year sentence on child porn charges in Chicago was met with resistance as the court dismissed his arguments. Kelly’s legal team argued that the statute of limitations had expired on the charges and that certain procedural aspects were improper.
Despite that, the court stood firm in its decision. It was noted that the statute of limitations extends through the lives of the victims, the jury was deemed to have acted appropriately, and Kelly’s sentence was found to be within guidelines. The court also directly linked to his Chicago sentence to the 30-year sentence he received in New York on sex trafficking and racketeering charges. The court said that was kept in mind as they made this decision.
“By employing a complex scheme to keep victims quiet, he long evaded consequences,” the court wrote in the ruling. “In recent years, though, those crimes caught up with him at last. But Kelly — interposing a statute-of-limitations defense — thinks he delayed the charges long enough to elude them entirely. The statute says otherwise, so we affirm his conviction.”
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As we previously reported, a Chicago jury found Kelly guilty on three child pornography-related counts and three child enticement charges following a monthlong trial in 2022. At the time, they found that he sexually abused his 14-year-old goddaughter “Jane” and other minors in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
In a statement to Billboard, Kelly’s attorney, Jennifer Bonjean said this Friday: “We are disappointed in the ruling but our fight is far from over. We will seek review from the Supreme Court and continue to pursue all of his appellate remedies until we Free R. Kelly. You can bet on that.”
The court’s latest ruling appears to be yet another setback for the disgraced R&B star, who is still embroiled in legal battles.