R. Kelly was sentenced to 30 years in prison for sex trafficking, sexual exploitation of a child, kidnapping and other sex-related crimes. In September, a jury found Kelly guilty on all nine charges which included a count of racketeering and eight counts of violating the Mann Act. The singer, whose full name is Robert Sylvester Kelly, was first accused of having sex with underage girls in the ’90s but escaped punishment for almost 30 years.
Judge Ann M. Donnelly handed down the sentence on Wednesday after the court heard statements from Kelly’s victims, but, surprisingly, not from the multiplatinum singer.
Federal prosecutors pushed for 25 years to life behind bars. The singer’s lawyers were seeking the minimum of 10 years and laid out their arguments for leniency citing his “highly chaotic” childhood home where he was sexually abused.
