R&B Star R. Kelly Convicted In Sex Trafficking Trial
R Kelly, the R&B superstar known for his anthem “I Believe I Can Fly,” was convicted Monday in a sex trafficking trial after decades of avoiding criminal responsibility for numerous allegations of misconduct with young w
R
Kelly,
the
R&B
superstar
known
for
his
anthem
“I
Believe
I
Can
Fly,”
was
convicted
Monday
in
a
sex
trafficking
trial
after
decades
of
avoiding
criminal
responsibility
for
numerous
allegations
of
misconduct
with
young
women
and
children.
A
jury
of
seven
men
and
five
women
found
Kelly,
54,
guilty
of
all
nine
counts,
including
racketeering,
on
their
second
day
of
deliberations.
Kelly,
wearing
a
face
mask,
remained
motionless,
eyes
downcast
as
the
verdict
was
read
in
federal
court
in
Brooklyn.
Prosecutors
alleged
that
the
entourage
of
managers
and
aides
who
helped
Kelly
meet
girls
—
and
keep
them
obedient
and
quiet
—
amounted
to
a
criminal
enterprise.
Two
people
have
been
charged
with
Kelly
in
a
separate
federal
case
that's
pending
in
Chicago.
Kelly
was
also
convicted
of
criminal
counts
accusing
him
of
violating
the
Mann
Act,
which
makes
it
illegal
to
take
anyone
across
state
lines
“for
any
immoral
purpose.”
“To
the
victims
in
this
case,
your
voices
were
heard
and
justice
was
finally
served,”
Acting
US
Attorney
Jacquelyn
Kasulis
said.
Peter
Fitzhugh,
a
Homeland
Security
investigations
agent,
said
the
verdict
brought
an
end
to
Kelly's
“decade-long
reign
of
terror
over
many
vulnerable
girls,
boys
and
young
women.”
Kelly
faces
up
to
20
years
in
prison.
Sentencing
is
scheduled
for
May
4.
Kelly
lawyer
Deveraux
Cannick
said
he
was
disappointed
by
the
verdict.
“I
think
I'm
even
more
disappointed
the
government
brought
the
case
in
the
first
place
given
all
the
inconsistencies,”
Cannick
said.
Several
accusers
testified
in
lurid
detail
during
the
trial,
alleging
that
Kelly
subjected
them
to
perverse
and
sadistic
whims
when
they
were
underage.
Gloria
Allred,
a
lawyer
for
some
of
Kelly's
accusers,
said
that
of
all
the
predators
she's
gone
after
—
a
list
including
Harvey
Weinstein
and
Jeffrey
Epstein
—
“Mr.
Kelly
is
the
worst.”
“R.
Kelly
thought
that
he
could
get
away
with
all
of
this,
but
he
didn't," Allred
said
outside
the
courthouse.
“Despite
the
fact
that
he
thought
he
could
control
all
this,
he
was
wrong.”
For
years,
the
public
and
news
media
seemed
to
be
more
amused
than
horrified
by
allegations
of
inappropriate
relationships
with
minors,
starting
with
Kelly's
illegal
marriage
to
the
R&B
phenom
Aaliyah
in
1994
when
she
was
just
15.
His
records
and
concert
tickets
kept
selling.
Other
artists
continued
to
record
his
songs,
even
after
he
was
arrested
in
2002
and
accused
of
making
a
recording
of
himself
sexually
abusing
and
urinating
on
a
14-year-old
girl.
Widespread
public
condemnation
didn't
come
until
a
widely
watched
docuseries
“Surviving
R.
Kelly”
helped
make
his
case
a
signifier
of
the
#MeToo
era,
and
gave
voice
to
accusers
who
wondered
if
their
stories
were
previously
ignored
because
they
were
Black
women.
At
the
trial,
several
of
Kelly's
accusers
testified
without
using
their
real
names
to
protect
their
privacy
and
prevent
possible
harassment
by
the
singer's
fans.
Jurors
were
shown
homemade
videos
of
Kelly
engaging
in
sex
acts
that
prosecutors
said
were
not
consensual.
Assistant
US
Attorney
Maria
Cruz
Melendez
argued
that
Kelly
was
a
serial
abuser
who
“maintained
control
over
these
victims
using
every
trick
in
the
predator
handbook.”
The
defense
labeled
the
accusers
“groupies”
and
“stalkers.”
Cannick
questioned
why
the
alleged
victims
stayed
in
relationships
with
Kelly
if
they
thought
they
were
being
exploited.
“You
made
a
choice,”
Cannick
told
one
woman
who
testified,
adding,
“You
participated
of
your
own
will.”
Kelly,
born
Robert
Sylvester
Kelly,
has
been
jailed
without
bail
since
in
2019.
The
trial
was
delayed
by
the
coronavirus
pandemic
and
Kelly's
last-minute
shakeup
of
his
legal
team.
When
it
finally
started
on
August
18,
prosecutors
painted
the
singer
as
a
pampered
man-child
and
control
freak.
His
accusers
said
they
were
under
orders
to
call
him
“Daddy,”
expected
to
jump
and
kiss
him
anytime
he
walked
into
a
room,
and
to
cheer
only
for
him
when
he
played
pickup
basketball
games
in
which
they
said
he
was
a
ball
hog.
The
accusers
alleged
that
they
also
were
ordered
to
sign
nondisclosure
forms
and
were
subjected
to
threats
and
punishments
such
as
violent
spankings
if
they
broke
what
one
referred
to
as
“Rob's
rules.”
Some
said
they
believed
the
videotapes
he
shot
of
them
having
sex
would
be
used
against
them
if
they
exposed
what
was
happening.
For
women
in
distress
help
available
at,
Central
Social
Welfare
Board
-Police
Helpline:
1091/
1291,
(011)
23317004;
Shakti
Shalini-
women's
shelter:
(011)
24373736/
24373737;
All
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Women's
Conference:
10921/
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23389680;
Joint
Women's
Programme:
(011)
24619821;
Sakshi-
violence
intervention
center:
(0124)
2562336/
5018873;
Nirmal
Niketan:
(011)
27859158;
JAGORI:
(011)
26692700;
Nari
Raksha
Samiti:
(011)
23973949;
RAHI
Recovering
and
Healing
from
Incest.
A
support
centre
for
women
survivors
of
child
sexual
abuse:
(011)
26238466/
26224042,
26227647.