R. Kelly found guilty on all counts in sex trafficking trial, faces life in prison for sexually abusing boys, girls, and women for decades

R&B musician R. Kelly — real name Robert Sylvester Kelly — was found guilty of sexually abusing women, boys, and girls for several decades.

He faces 10 years to life in prison in connection with the charges.

The 54-year-old Kelly was convicted on all nine counts, including racketeering and 14 underlying acts that included sexual exploitation of a child, kidnapping, bribery, and sex trafficking charges, and also faced eight additional violations of the Mann Act, a sex trafficking law that prohibits transport of "any woman or girl" across state lines for nefarious purposes.

A New York federal jury of seven men and five women reached the unanimous verdict after two days of deliberations as the monthlong trial concluded.

"This case is not about a celebrity who likes to party a lot," Assistant U. S. Attorney Maria Cruz Melendez said during her opening statement in August. "This case is about a predator."

Kelly is set to be sentenced on May 4.

The verdict comes 13 years after an Illinois jury acquitted him of child pornography charges.

According to CNN, at least 50 prosecution and defense witnesses took the stand during the trial, including several "Jane Does."

There were 45 prosecution witnesses, and "Jane Doe 1" was late R&B star Aaliyah Dana Haughton — known professionally as Aaliyah — who died in 2001.

"Jurors heard from multiple witnesses who were present at [Haughton's] marriage to Kelly on August 31, 1994, when he was 27 and she was 15," the outlet reported. "Prosecutors showed copies of the couple's marriage license application, which listed Aaliyah's age as 18 at the time of their wedding, as well as their marriage license and marriage certification."

Kelly's former manager testified and admitted that he bribed a worker at a Chicago-area welfare office to create a fraudulent ID for the late singer.

Kelly was said to have married Aaliyah because he falsely believed he impregnated her.

Another witness said that she met Kelly when she was just 17 years old, and noted that he willingly invited h... (Read more)

Latest News