Disgraced R&B artist R. Kelly found guilty on all counts in sex trafficking and racketeering trial
R. Kelly sits alongside his defense team as jury selection begins for Kelly’s sexual abuse trial in Brooklyn, New York, August 9, 2021 in this courtroom sketch.
Jane Rosenberg | Reuters
R&B singer R. Kelly was found guilty on Monday on all counts in a high-profile sex-trafficking case by a federal jury in Brooklyn, the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Eastern District of New York said Monday.
The verdict represents the first criminal consequence for Kelly after decades of accusations of sexual assault. In 2008, he was acquitted on 14 counts in a highly publicized child pornography case in New York.
Kelly was on trial for racketeering as well as 14 underlying acts that include sexual exploitation of a child, kidnapping, bribery and sex trafficking. He was also charge with eight additional counts of violations of the anti-sex trafficking law known as the Mann Act.
Kelly now faces the possibility of decades in prison. Sentencing is set to take place on May 4. The singer also faces charges in Illinois and Minnesota.
Best known for for the hit 1996 song “I Believe I Can Fly,” Kelly, whose real name is Robert Sylvester Kelly, pleaded not guilty to all charges in the case and did not take the stand in his own defense.
In this case, six people alleged the singer was a serial sexual predator who abused young women and underaged girls and boys for more than two decades.
This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.
