Prosecutors are asking a judge to give R&B singer R Kelly another 25 years in prison on charges of child pornography and soliciting a minor for sex.
That means the 56-year-old won’t be eligible for release until around the age of 100 if the judge agrees to the 25-year sentence and another government demand Kelly He only started serving his sentence after he had already served 30 years in another case.
The singer, full name Robert Sylvester Kelly, is convicted last year in chicago Six of the 13 counts — three each of producing child pornography and soliciting a minor for sexual relations.
The Grammy winner has been convicted in New York of racketeering and sex trafficking, Sentenced to 30 years in prison.
In sentencing recommendations filed today in U.S. District Court in Chicago, government attorneys described Kelly’s actions as “sadistic” and called him a “serial sexual predator” who was unrepentant and “a serious threat to society.”
“The only way to ensure that Kelly will not reoffend is to serve a sentence that will serve him the remainder of his life in prison,” the filing states.
However, Kelly’s attorney, Jennifer Bonjean, wrote in a filing last week that even with his existing 30-year New York sentence “Kelly would have to overcome all statistical odds to get out alive.” The average life expectancy is 64 years.
Instead, she suggested a sentence of around 10 years, which she said could be served concurrently with the New York sentence.
R Kelly appeared in court in 2019. Image credit: Antonio Perez
Kelly singled out for behavior of white rock star, lawyer says
Ms Bonjean believes Kelly was singled out for decades of impunity for white rock stars. “No one was prosecuted and no one died in prison,” she wrote.
Prosecutors acknowledged that the 25-year sentence in the Chicago case was even longer than suggested by sentencing guidelines, but argued that the long sentence was imposed and directed to be served only if the sentence was appropriate in New York.
“Given the appalling conduct of Kelly, the consecutive sentences are very reasonable,” the filing said. “Kelly’s sexual abuse of minors was willful and prolific.”
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R Kelly to appear in court in 2019
request for leniency
Ms Bonjean argued that the traumas Kelly suffered throughout his life, including childhood abuse and adult illiteracy, justified his lenient sentence.
She said he was “not an evil monster, but a complex (and undoubtedly troubled) human being who faced as a child enormous challenges that shaped his adult life.”
Kelly will be sentenced next Thursday in Chicago.
Although Abuse allegations began circulating in the 1990sAfterwards, the #MeToo reckoning and the 2019 series Surviving R Kelly sparked widespread outrage.
Kelly is known for chart-topping hits including “I Believe I Can Fly”, “Bump” and “Ignite”.