Audio By Carbonatix
Disgraced singer R. Kelly must spend an extra year in prison on top of a 30-year sentence he is already serving.
Kelly was jailed in June 2022 for three decades for sex trafficking and racketeering after a trial in New York.
Several months later, he was convicted in a second federal trial in Chicago of enticing minors for sex and producing child sexual imagery.
He has now received a 20-year term for those crimes, but 19 will be served at the same time as the previous sentence.
If served in full, he will be behind bars until he is in his mid-80s.
Federal prosecutors were seeking a 25-year sentence in the second case, higher than required under federal sentencing guidelines. They said Kelly's crimes were made worse by the fact that he filmed them, with some of the footage later becoming available online.
"Because Kelly is Kelly, more people have watched child pornography," they said in a memo. "The effects of Kelly's conduct are wide-ranging, incalculable and irreversible."
The memo argued that Kelly has an "insatiable" desire to abuse children, and that a lengthy sentence was required to "protect the community" from further harm.
Kelly's defence attorney, Jennifer Bonjean, had asked the judge to allow Kelly to serve his latest sentence concurrently with the previous sentence, meaning he would have served them at the same time. She said a consecutive sentence would amount to a "second life sentence".
She also accused prosecutors of using an "embellished" narrative to "inflame" perceptions of the former R&B star.
During the Chicago trial, the victim - known by the pseudonym "Jane" - testified that Kelly sexually abused her hundreds of times before she turned 18.
Three videos of the abuse were shown to jurors during the trial. Four other women also accused Kelly abusing them as children.
In his previous trial in New York, jurors heard that Kelly trafficked women for sexual abuse across the US, with help from his managers and other members of his entourage.
The Grammy-winning singer - best-known for songs such as Ignition (Remix) and the hugely popular 1996 anthem I Believe I Can Fly - is among the highest-profile musicians accused of abuse in the wake of the #MeToo movement.
Watch: R. Kelly survivor makes tearful statement outside New York court following his sentencing
Latest Stories
-
Emissions Levy had no impact on air pollution, research reveals
39 minutes -
DSTV enhanced packages stay in force as subscriptions rise following price adjustments
43 minutes -
Financial Stability Advisory Council holds final meeting for 2025
1 hour -
Education in Review: 2025 marks turning point as Mahama resets Ghana’s education sector
1 hour -
Nigeria AG orders fresh probe into alleged intimidation and assault of Sam Jonah’s River Park estate staff
1 hour -
Concerned Small Scale Miners commend GoldBod’s efforts in addressing gold smuggling
1 hour -
Haruna Mohammed claims Ghana Audit Service undermined
2 hours -
5 members of notorious robbery syndicate in Tema, Accra arrested
2 hours -
BoG, SEC and FIC hold Joint sensitisation workshop for Virtual Asset Service Providers
2 hours -
How Nico Cantor became one of the top voices in American soccer
2 hours -
Ghana colorectal cancer patients face low survival rates, KNUST study finds
3 hours -
Police arrest suspect in GH₵ 7.5m daylight robbery at Adabraka
3 hours -
Armwrestling: The Golden Arms’ 2025 Triumph and an Era of Unprecedented Victories
3 hours -
Ghanaian researcher wins ASCE editors’ recognition for modular construction study
3 hours -
Corruption fight: I don’t think there’s political persecution or witch-hunting – Edem Senanu
3 hours
