American R&B star R. Kelly, who was found guilty in September 2021 by a New York court for sexually exploiting young women, men and teenagers, was sentenced today to 30 years in prison.
The sentence was handed down to the 55-year-old by the federal court in Brooklyn, where his trial took place, nine months ago.
Journalists in the courtroom said that the singer of "I Believe I Can Fly" did not say a word when he heard the verdict.
The federal prosecutor's office had demanded that he be sentenced to at least 25 years in prison because of the "danger" posed by Robert Kelly, such as the singer's real name, for his victims and for public opinion. He even claimed that he was a "manipulative person who showed no remorse and no respect for the law."
In the six weeks of his trial last summer, nine women and two men testified that he had sexually abused them and described the rapes, while claiming that he was forcing them to take drugs and holding them captive. Kelly, who claimed to have been raped when he was eight, was found guilty of all charges: extortion, sexual exploitation of a minor, kidnapping, trafficking, forced labor.
During his trial, he showed no emotion and when his guilt was announced he limited himself to bowing his head and closing his eyes.
Kelly is already being held pending another trial in Chicago in August.
Source: RES-EAP
