Convicted sex trafficker R.Kelly has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for his alleged crimes. He was handed down the sentence by U.S. District Judge Ann Donnelly on Wednesday in Brooklyn, New York, months after he was found guilty on all nine counts in a high-profile sex trafficking case.
In addition to the 30-year sentence, he has an additional five years of supervised release and a $100,000 fine. During his court appearance, the judge told Kelly “You were a person who had great advantages — worldwide fame and celebrity and untold money,” she said. “You took advantage of their hopes and dreams, holding teenagers in your house trapped. You were at the top of your organization, and you raped and beat them, separated them from their families, and forced them to do unspeakable things.”
While many people especially R.Kelly’s victims were happy to hear that he is being rightfully punished, the entertainer’s fans are still showing him support. Meanwhile, a debate is going on online about whether people should still listen to the disgraced singer’s songs following the later update on his trafficking case. We asked our socialites, would they still play R. Kelly’s music to which singer Tory Lanez honestly responded saying, “Yeah for sure … not fucking with him as a person … but I can’t UNLIKE A SONG …” Tory added, “it already resonated.”
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More On R. Kelly
For decades, allegations surrounded the singer who was previously acquitted in 2008 on child pornography charges. However, in an indictment following his 2019 arrest, prosecutors alleged Kelly and his team: managers, bodyguards and assistants — “traveled throughout the United States and abroad to perform at concert venues … and to recruit women and girls to engage in illegal sexual activity with Kelly” as far back as 1999.
Victims who addressed the court Wednesday said they had barely any will to live during their time under Kelly’s control.
“You degraded me, humiliated me and broke my spirit,” said a woman who went by Jane Doe No. 2. “I wished I would die because of how you degraded me.” The victim went on to recall an incident when she was forced to perform oral sex on Kelly “after you played basketball, in a car full of your friends.” She said to Kelly, “Do you remember that?! You couldn’t care less. I avoided your name and your songs and suffocated with fear. What you did left a permanent stain on my life.”
What Will Happen Next?
Next up, R. Kelly is scheduled to stand trial in August in Chicago on federal child pornography and obstruction of justice charges.
We will continue to keep you updated as we follow the case.
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