R. Kelly loses attraction over conviction for youngster intercourse crimes in Chicago
A federal appellate courtroom in Chicago has upheld R. Kelly‘s conviction and 20-year jail sentence for possessing youngster pornography and youngster enticement.
The disgraced singer was discovered responsible of six of 13 counts of proudly owning and producing youngster pornography and engaging a minor again in September. On Thursday (February 23), he was sentenced to twenty years in jail however he’ll serve nearly all of his sentence concurrently alongside the jail time period he acquired final yr for racketeering and trafficking.
The extra sentence implies that in complete, Kelly will now serve 31 years in jail and he won’t be eligible for launch till he’s 80 years previous.
Kelly appealed the sentence, along with his attorneys arguing that U.S. District Decide Harry Leinenweber exceeded federal sentencing pointers by six years when he handed him his 20-year sentence.
Nevertheless, the seventh Circuit Court docket of Appeals concluded the sentencing was applicable as a result of “horrid, horrible” nature of Kelly’s crimes. The courtroom additionally rejected Kelly’s argument that the fees have been filed after the statute of limitations had handed.
JUST IN: The seventh Circuit U.S. Court docket of Appeals has affirmed disgraced R&B star R. Kelly’s federal conviction and sentence in Chicago for intercourse abuse of minors. pic.twitter.com/kD2dVjQ9rE
— Jason Meisner (@jmetr22b) April 26, 2024
“Kelly—interposing a statute-of-limitations protection—thinks he delayed the fees lengthy sufficient to elude them completely. The statute says in any other case, so we affirm his conviction,” a three-judge appeals panel unanimously concluded. “An excellent-handed jury discovered Kelly responsible, acquitting him on a number of fees even after viewing these abhorrent tapes. No statute of limitations saves him, and the ensuing sentence was procedurally correct and — particularly underneath these appalling circumstances — considerably honest.”
In response, Kelly’s lawyer Jennifer Bonjean informed TMZ: “Our struggle just isn’t over. We are going to see overview from the [United States Supreme Court] on the statute of limitations questions at a minimal. And he has habeas treatments at his disposal. And if we win in New York, he might be entitled to resentencing in Illinois. So this story is much from over.”
Kelly has additionally appealed the New York sentence, alleging that the Surviving R. Kelly docuseries influenced the trial and steered he was responsible earlier than the trial even started.
Nevertheless, if he did win his attraction, he’ll nonetheless possible find yourself serving 18 years in jail for his conviction in Chicago.
In the beginning of the yr, a ultimate instalment of the Surviving R. Kelly docuseries aired on Lifetime, masking Kelly’s 2022 federal trial. The docuseries additionally examined the position performed by these round Kelly who enabled him, both by turning a blind eye to his abuse over three a long time or serving to him see his victims, reminiscent of by reserving flights for underage ladies to journey throughout state traces.
It additionally examined Kelly’s marriage with the late singer Aaliyah, revealing that he silenced her and her household with a non-disclosure settlement after the annulment of their marriage, which passed off when Aaliyah was 15 together with her age falsified as 18 on the wedding certificates.
In the meantime, Tinashe has revealed she feels “embarrassed” about being compelled to work with R. Kelly and Chris Brown by her former label, RCA.
“You assume I wished to [do the collaborations?],” she mentioned in a brand new interview. “I actually block out that R. Kelly music from my thoughts. I overlook that that [song] exists. That’s so embarrassing. That’s so unreal that I’ve a music with R. Kelly.”