R. Kelly Guilty Of Luring Children

Survivors of Kelly’s abuse held hands and prayed as US District Court Judge Ann Donnelly began reading his sentence.

A jury convicted R&B singer Kelly of nine counts, including racketeering and sex trafficking. The trial included testimony from witnesses who said Kelly sexually and physically abused them, and from people involved in orchestrating Kelly’s 1994 marriage to the late singer Aaliyah.

Kelly’s defense said he was “pretty close to indigent” and could not pay a fine, but prosecutors said money from selling some of his music rights and millions in royalties held by Sony could cover any fine.

Kelly’s legal team has been replaced by Bonjean and her firm, which helped Bill Cosby get his sexual assault conviction overturned and lost a civil case this month.

Kelly said his closest relationship growing up was with his mother, and he would go to McDonald’s frequently to smell the coffee and remember her.

Kelly’s attorney says he was sexually abused as a child and that it may have contributed to his “hypersexuality” and criminal convictions. A victim impact statement says Kelly’s father had also been sexually abused as a child but “never molested me.”

Many letters were written asking for a shorter sentence for Kelly, including one by Kelly’s former assistant, Diana Copeland.

Joycelyn Savage, considered a victim of Kelly’s by prosecutors, remains a supporter of Kelly and revealed she is now engaged to Kelly.

Christopher Gunn, who had attended Kelly’s trial in Brooklyn, was arrested and charged with making threats against the three US attorneys who prosecuted Kelly. The man allegedly posted a video to his YouTube channel threatening to kill or seriously injure the prosecutors.

Prosecutors believe Gunn was planning to attend Kelly’s sentencing on Wednesday and analyzed a CashApp account linked to Gunn that shows multiple transactions funding threats against the prosecutors from February 26, 2021, to June 1.

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