A federal judge on Thursday handed singer R. Kelly a 20-year prison sentence for his convictions of child pornography and the enticement of minors for sex but said he will serve nearly all of the sentence simultaneously with a 30 year sentence imposed last year on racketeering charges.
U.S. District Judge Harry Leinenweber also ordered that Kelly serve one year in prison following his New York sentence.
Kelly could have could faced between 10 to 90 years in prison for the crimes he was charged with in Chicago.
Prosecutors had recommended Kelly serve 25 years in prison, consecutively to his New York sentence, calling him a sexual predator who used his fame and wealth to abuse his victims, and has shown no remorse, according to WLS.
Kelly’s lawyer asked for a sentence of 10 years to be served concurrently with his New York sentence, saying Kelly being abused as a child justified leniency, according to WLS.
The 55-year-old singer was found guilty in September in what was his second federal trial.
Kelly faced multiple child pornography, sex abuse and obstruction charges involving an earlier investigation that ended with his acquittal in a 2008 state child pornography trial in his hometown of Chicago.
Prosecutors alleged that in the late 1990s, Kelly engaged in sex acts with five victims while they were all under the age of 18 and created explicit videos with four of them.
A jury found Kelly guilty on three counts of child pornography and three counts of enticing a minor. He was acquitted of a conspiracy to obstruct justice charge accusing him of fixing the 2008 trial.
Attorneys for R. Kelly, Jennifer Bonjean, right, and Ashley Cohen arrive at the Dirksen Federal Building for Kelly’s sentencing hearing on Feb. 23, 2023, in Chicago.
The immensely successful recording artist has won three Grammy Awards and sold tens of millions of records, but his career was always consistently dogged and eventually ended by accusations of sexual impropriety dating back 30 years.
Gregory Preston, R. Kelly’s uncle, told reporters he believes Kelly will be set free on appeal.
“I’m just praying that everything will go well and that he will go free, because we all know that he’s innocent,” Preston told reporters after the sentencing.
Jennifer Bonjean, Kelly’s lawyer, told reporters he is “in good spirits,” but said they have a tough fight ahead of them as they challenge Kelly’s New York convictions.
“We will appeal this case as well,” Bonjean said.
Bonjean said the judge took into account Kelly’s age when issuing his sentence, but said Kelly will likely die in prison serving his current sentences.
Credit: abcnews
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