R. Kelly Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Federal Child Porn Conviction

Five months ago, disgraced R&B singer R. Kelly was convicted on three counts of child pornography.

In a federal courtroom in Chicago on Thursday, U.S. District Judge Harry D. Leinenweber sentenced Kelly to 20 years in prison for his offenses.

Kelly is currently serving a 30-year prison sentence after he was found guilty in his sex trafficking case. With this new sentence, 19 years will be served concurrently with his current 30-year term. Thus, he’ll be serving an additional year in prison.

Leinenweber told the court, “No matter what I do, Mr. Kelly isn’t going out the door after today. He’s not going out the door in the next 10 years, he’s not going out the door in the next 20 years.”

He noted, “Bear in mind he’s 56 years old. And as [his attorney Jennifer] Bonjean points out, he has a life expectancy of not a hell of a lot more — eight, 10 years.”

Leinenweber believed “sentencing should be sufficient but not greater than necessary,” adding, “Everybody agrees that the nature of this offense is horrible, horrific.”

Before the sentence was handed down, prosecutors argued that a 25-year sentence that kept him behind bars was “the only way to ensure Kelly does not reoffend.”

Kelly’s lawyer Jennifer Bonjean said she believed that he was already serving a life sentence. In a court filing, she said, “Kelly would have to defy all statistical odds to make it out of prison alive.”

In September, Kelly was found guilty on three of the five counts relating to enticement and coercion.