R Kelly ‘does cruel things to children’, victim says after sentencing
R&B singer R Kelly was sentenced to 30 years in prison after being convicted in federal court last year on sex trafficking and racketeering charges.
Appearing in court on Wednesday, the disgraced singer remained silent as he heard from some of his accusers, who gave victim impact statements recounting their experiences with the singer.
Prosecutors called for R. Kelly to get more than 25 years behind bars to “protect the public” from the “I Believe I Can Fly” singer. He was convicted of nine counts last September, which included one count of racketeering and eight counts of Mann Act violations.
Gloria Allred, who represented the three women who testified against R. Kelly, told reporters that “no one can undo the harm done to these victims,” which his attorney denied.
The acting associate director of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), who announced Kelly’s sentence, meanwhile called the singer “a prolific serial predator who used his wealth and fame to prey on the young and vulnerable, promising fame, fortune and glory for his own your sex life. satisfaction.”
Key points
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ICYMI: What was R Kelly convicted of?
The disgraced R&B singer faced a series of charges before pleading guilty in September to racketeering and sexual exploitation of a child and sex trafficking – among other charges.
Kelly, whose real name is Robert Sylvester Kelly, sat motionless as he was sentenced on those charges last year. He remained silent again during Wednesday’s sentencing.
Oliver O’Connell July 1, 2022 9:30 am
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Opinion: R Kelly’s decades of abuse tell a story that never ends
“Wealth, power, racism and misogyny protected the R&B star, and we’re a long way from eradicating the culture that enables predators and abusers,” Fiona Sturgis wrote in the opinion piece below:
Oliver O’Connell July 1, 2022 7:30 am
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Judge says ‘horrors’ were not ‘too high a price’
“The horrors that your victims endured,” U.S. District Judge Anne Donnelly said during Wednesday’s sentencing. “No price was too high for your happiness.”
According to trial testimony, R. Kelly testified that several of his victims were minors during his encounters with the singer, who denies ordering his accusers to sign non-disclosure forms (otherwise known as NDAs).
The “boys and girls” were allegedly threatened and punished if they broke what were called “Rob’s rules”, prosecutors heard during his trial last year.
The R&B singer was also accused of making “disgraceful videos” of his victims.
Additional information from the Associated Press
Oliver O’Connell July 1, 2022 5:30 am
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Opinion: R. Kelly’s prison sentence is the least that people like him deserve
“There is something very, very rotten about the cult of the male celebrity,” wrote The Independent’s Victoria Richards in the opinion piece below.
“Because it doesn’t end with the abuse. This behavior has a ripple effect that lasts for decades; not just for the victims themselves, but for all those who see what men like this can get away with for so long – and assume they can do the same.
Oliver O’Connell July 1, 2022 4:30 am
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The verdict is a product of the MeToo movement
The sentencing of R Kelly to 30 years in prison is another triumph for women’s rights activists and a product of the “MeToo” movement.
Allegations of sexual misconduct against R Kelly were not made public until the emergence of the “MeToo” movement on Twitter in 2006, when several women came forward to say they had been harassed by high-profile men.
The allegations against Kelly reached a turning point in 2019 after the release of the documentary Surviving R. Kelly, after which he was charged by state judges with aggravated criminal sexual assault.
Federal prosecutors then charged the R&B singer with sex trafficking and racketeering, and his trial took place last year, where he was found guilty.
Oliver O’Connell July 1, 2022 3:30 am
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The sentence is justice for black women
R Kelly’s victims believed their stories were initially ignored because they were black women.
Speaking outside the court on Wednesday where he was sentenced, one unnamed survivor said: “There hasn’t been a day in my life, until this moment, when I truly believe that the justice system will go through the black and brown girls.”
Prosecutors heard from women who told the court how the R&B singer forced them into “submission” and other “horrors”.
“I hope this sentence serves as its own testimony that it doesn’t matter how powerful, rich or famous your abuser may be or how small he makes you feel – justice only hears the truth,” US Attorney Breon Peace said, per the Associated Press reported.
Oliver O’Connell July 1, 2022 02:30 am
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ICYMI: R Kelly sentenced to 30 years in prison for sex trafficking and racketeering conviction
R&B singer R Kelly was sentenced to 30 years in prison on charges of sex trafficking and racketeering.
He was sentenced in 2021.
Oliver O’Connell July 1, 2022 1:30 am
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“R. “Kelly uses his fame, wealth and means to prey on the young, the vulnerable and the voiceless,” the lawyer said
Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, who announced R. Kelly’s 30-year sentence on Wednesday, along with Steve C. Francis, Acting Executive Associate Director, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), said, that the singer “uses his fame, fortune and means to prey on the young.
Read his full statement announcing the verdict here:
“R. Kelly used her fame, wealth and opportunity to prey on the young, the vulnerable and the voiceless for her own sexual gratification while many turned a blind eye.
“Through his actions, Kelly showed a callous disregard for the devastation his crimes caused his victims and showed no remorse for his conduct.” With today’s sentence, he has finally and properly been held accountable for his decades of abuse, exploitation and humiliation of teenagers and other vulnerable young people. We hope that today’s sentencing brings some measure of comfort and closure to the victims, including those who bravely testified at trial, and serves as a long overdue acknowledgment that their voices deserve to be heard and their lives matter.
Oliver O’Connell July 1, 2022 12:30 am
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Victim said singer kept her as a ‘sex slave’
Lizette Martinez, who gave a victim impact statement during Wednesday’s sentencing hearing in which she said she was R. Kelly’s “sex slave,” said she hopes R. Kelly receives a harsher sentence.
“I personally don’t think it’s enough, but I’m happy with it,” she told reporters after the 55-year-old was sentenced to 30 years.
Other women who testified during the trial and sentencing hearing have not publicly released their names.
Gino SpocchiaJune 30, 2022 11:30 p.m
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Why did R Kelly get a longer sentence than Ghislaine Maxwell?
Disgraced R&B singer R Kelly was sentenced to thirty years in prison on Wednesday following his conviction for sex trafficking and racketeering.
In response to this news, many compared his sentence to that of Jeffrey Epstein’s associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who received twenty years in prison for her sex trafficking conviction.
One Twitter user wrote: “Can someone explain to me how R. Kelly got 10 years in prison more than Ghislaine Maxwell?”
Holly Bancroft investigates:
Oliver O’Connell June 30, 2022 10:54 pm
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