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
-
Trade Minister applauds GUTA as a pillar of economic growth; Prez Mahama honoured
16 minutes -
President’s brother’s takeover of Damang Mines is ‘untidy’ – Alhassan Tampuli
22 minutes -
It’s not true that gov’t decided not to renew the lease for Gold Fields – Bobby Banson
26 minutes -
Ghana to boost tomato production with 60-hectare irrigated farms and processing initiatives
44 minutes -
E&P’s takeover process of Damang Mines was very clean – Inusah Fuseini
47 minutes -
Damang takeover: There is not going to be any job loss; it is a lease change – Bobby Banson
1 hour -
Gold Fields didn’t stop mining at Damang mines; such claims are untrue – Bobby Banson
1 hour -
Engineers and Planners currently operate only in Ghana – Bright Simons
2 hours -
Lands Minister has no legal basis to restrict lease to Ghanaian firms – Bright Simons
2 hours -
Gov’t’s refusal to renew Gold Fields’ lease was simply untenable – Bright Simons
2 hours -
SOS Children’s Villages Ghana deepens partnership with Gender Ministry
2 hours -
Gender Ministry celebrates Christina Koch, reaffirms commitment to empowering girls
2 hours -
Live stream: Newsfile digs into E&P’s takeover of Damang Mines, OSP powers and Anti-LGBTQ Bill
2 hours -
Moody’s maintains Ghana’s rating at Caa1, revises outlook to positive
3 hours -
Zambia elevates tourism education to national priority as President Hichilema backs continental summit
4 hours