The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit has upheld the 20-year prison sentence of R&B singer R. Kelly, rejecting his appeal on the grounds that his convictions for child pornography and enticement of minors were correctly applied under current law. Kelly, who has faced legal troubles for nearly three decades, argued unsuccessfully that his trial should have been conducted under a previous and more lenient statute of limitations.
Jurors had found Kelly guilty on charges of producing child sexual abuse images and enticement of minors for sex. While Kelly was acquitted on seven of the thirteen counts against him, the appeals court noted, “an even-handed jury found Kelly guilty, acquitting him on several charges even after viewing those abhorrent tapes.” In delivering its decision, the court underscored Kelly’s futile attempt to elude charges through a “complex scheme to keep victims quiet.”
In a bid to mitigate his sentence, Kelly’s legal team contended that the charges involving one accuser should have been tried separately due to the video evidence that was central to the Chicago trial. This video evidence, according to federal prosecutors, showed Kelly abusing a girl identified only as Jane, who testified she was 14 at the time it was taken.
Kelly’s appeal claimed that Illinois’ former statute of limitations on child sex crime prosecutions should have applied, not the current law which permits charges as long as an accuser is alive. However, the appeals court rebuffed this line of reasoning, labeling it an attempt to entirely escape accountability. “By employing a complex scheme to keep victims quiet, [Kelly] long evaded consequences,” wrote Judge Amy St. Eve in the ruling.
The three-judge panel’s decision also touched on Kelly’s argument against the validity of prosecution under the extended statute of limitations, explaining that it was constitutionally sound to apply a newer statute of limitations to old conduct when the defendant, as in Kelly’s case in 2003, was subject to prosecution at the time of the change.
Responding to the court’s ruling, Kelly’s attorney Jennifer Bonjean indicated plans to seek a U.S. Supreme Court review of the decision and to “pursue all of his appellate remedies until we free R. Kelly.” Bonjean expressed disappointment but emphasized that their fight was far from over.
The affirmance of Kelly’s 20-year sentence in Chicago comes in addition to a separate 30-year sentence imposed in New York for federal racketeering and sex trafficking convictions. Although the Chicago judge, Harry Leinenweber, ruled that the majority of Kelly’s Chicago sentence could be served concurrently with the New York sentence, the totality of the prison time the former singer faces amounts to 31 years.
Relevant articles:
– Chicago appeals court rejects R. Kelly ‘s challenge of 20-year sentence, apnews.com, 04/27/2024
– Court Upholds R. Kelly’s 20-Year Child Pornography And Sex Crimes Sentence, Forbes, Fri, 26 Apr 2024 19:06:47 GMT
– R. Kelly’s Sex Abuse Conviction in Chicago Upheld on Appeal, Billboard, Fri, 26 Apr 2024 17:31:46 GMT
– R. Kelly’s Chicago conviction to stand after high court rejects appeal, The Spokesman Review, Fri, 26 Apr 2024 19:33:26 GMT