R. Kelly Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison

Nine months after he was found guilty in his sex trafficking case, R. Kelly has been sentenced.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District New York revealed that Kelly will be serving 30 years behind bars.

During the sentencing hearing, seven of Kelly’s victims gave impact statements.

One woman told Kelly in court, “You made me do things that broke my spirit. I literally wished I would die because of how low you made me feel. Do you remember that?"

Another woman told the court, “I once lost hope, but you restored my faith."

Kelly was in the courtroom, but did not address the court.

Earlier this month, prosecutors argued why Kelly should get a long sentence.

In a filing, the prosecutors said, “The defendant's decades of crime appear to have been fueled by narcissism and a belief that his musical talent absolved him of any need to conform his conduct — no matter how predatory, harmful, humiliating or abusive to others — to the strictures of the law.”

They argued that Kelly’s “actions were brazen, manipulative, controlling and coercive. He has shown no remorse or respect for the law.”

“Put simply, [Kelly's] crimes were calculated, methodical, and part [of] a long-standing pattern of using his platform as a larger-than-life musical persona and his deep network to gain access to teenagers, many of whom were particularly vulnerable, and then to exploit them for his personal gain and sexual gratification,” the filing stated.

In response to the filing, Kelly’s attorney Jennifer Bonjean requested a sentence of less than 14 years in prison.

In September, Kelly was found guilty of racketeering and sex trafficking.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York announced the news, revealing Robert Sylvester Kelly “was convicted today by a federal jury in Brooklyn of all nine counts of a superseding indictment charging him with racketeering predicated on criminal conduct including sexual exploitation of children, forced labor and Mann Act violations involving the coercion and transportation of women and girls in interstate commerce to engage in illegal sexual activity.”

Starting August 18, jurors heard from 45 witnesses, including 10 victims, as well as Kelly’s employees. Jurors were also presented with text messages, audio recordings, photographs, and more evidence.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office says Kelly had rules for the women and girls he preyed on, including insisting that they call him “Daddy,” asking for permission to eat or use the bathroom, keeping their heads down, and never speaking to other men. He was also accused of requiring “victims to engage in sex with him and others,” and was said to have “recorded many of the sexual encounters.”

Acting U.S. Attorney Kasulis said in a statement, “Today’s guilty verdict forever brands R. Kelly as a predator, who used his fame and fortune to prey on the young, the vulnerable, and the voiceless for his own sexual gratification. A predator who used his inner circle to ensnare underage teenage girls, and young women and men, for decades, in a sordid web of sex abuse, exploitation and degradation. To the victims in this case, your voices were heard, and justice was finally served. We hope that today’s verdict brings some measure of comfort and closure to the victims.”