Tag: R Kelly

By Associated Press

CHICAGO: A federal judge on Thursday rejected a call from prosecutors to keep R Kelly behind bars until he is 100, instead telling the Grammy Award-winning R&B singer he would serve all but one of his 20 years on child sex convictions simultaneously with a previous sentence.

Handed down in a courtroom in Kelly’s hometown of Chicago, the sentence means Kelly could make it out of prison alive when he is about 80. Prosecutors had asked Judge Harry Leinenweber to sentence him to 25 years — and to not let him begin serving those until after he completed the first 30-year sentence, imposed on him last year in New York for federal racketeering and sex trafficking convictions.

“The nature of this offense is … horrific,” Leinenweber said in explaining the 20-year sentence. He noted that Kelly’s sexual abuse victims would suffer from his crimes for the rest of their lives.

At the same time, he accepted defense arguments that Kelly might not even make it to 80, so handing him a consecutive lengthy sentence, rather than allowing him to serve all but one year of it simultaneously, didn’t make much sense.

“He has a life expectancy of not a hell of a lot more,” the judge said. “He is 56 years of age.”

Kelly’s defense lawyer celebrated the ruling as a victory, and some of the singer’s fans could be heard cheering outside the courtroom.

Kelly remained still, his eyes downcast, as Leinenweber explained what was at times a hard-to-follow sentence. He did seem to show some emotion when a representative read a statement written by “Jane,” one of his accusers and a key prosecution witness.

“I was brainwashed by Robert and a sex slave,” Jane’s statement said. “It almost killed me.”

Kelly did not make a statement in court prior to the sentencing decision, heeding the advice of his lawyer, Jennifer Bonjean, to stay quiet while they appeal both his Chicago and New York convictions.

“It’s the right outcome,” Bonjean said of the sentence after the hearing ended. “The judge was reasonable. He, I think, took into account both sides and ultimately was fair.”

The U.S. Attorney in Chicago, John Lausch, conceded that prosecutors were disappointed Kelly didn’t receive more consecutive prison time. But he added, “Twenty years is a significant sentence, and we are happy that that was imposed in this case.”

The judge said at the outset of Thursday’s hearing that he did not accept the government’s contention that Kelly used fear to woo underage girls for sex, a determination that was important in deciding whether to extend Kelly’s current term significantly.

“The (government’s) whole theory of grooming, was sort of the opposite of fear of bodily harm,” the judge told the court. “It was the fear of lost love, lost affections (from Kelly)’. … It just doesn’t seem to me that it rises to the fear of bodily harm.”

Two of Kelly’s accusers asked the judge Thursday to punish him harshly.

“When your virginity is taken by a pedophile at 14 … your life is never your own,” Jane’s statement read.

Another accuser, who used the pseudonym “Nia,” addressed Kelly directly in court. Speaking forcefully as her voice quivered, Nia said Kelly would repeatedly point out her alleged faults while he abused her.

“Now you are here … because there is something wrong with you,” she said. “No longer will you be able to harm children.”

Jurors in Chicago convicted Kelly last year on six of 13 counts: three of producing child porn and three of enticement of minors for sex. Prosecutors did not get a conviction on the marquee charge: that Kelly and his then-business manager successfully rigged his state child pornography trial in 2008.

Kelly rose from poverty in Chicago to become one of the world’s biggest R&B stars. Known for his smash hit “I Believe I Can Fly” and for sex-infused songs such as “Bump n’ Grind,” he sold millions of albums even after allegations about his abuse of girls began circulating publicly in the 1990s.

Prosecutors had previously described Kelly as “a serial sexual predator” who used his fame and wealth to reel in, sexually abuse and then discard star-struck fans.

At Thursday’s hearing, U.S. Assistant Attorney Jeannice Appenteng urged the judge to keep Kelly in prison “for the rest of his life.”

Kelly’s abuse of children was especially appalling, she said, because he “memorialized” his abuse by filming victims, including Jane. Appenteng told the court Kelly “used Jane as a sex prop, a thing” for producing pornographic videos.

Bonjean has said repeatedly that the government singled out her client because he is a superstar and she previously accused prosecutors of offering an “embellished narrative” to get the judge to join what she called the government’s “bloodthirsty campaign to make Kelly a symbol of the #MeToo movement.”

She echoed that theme Thursday in calling the request for a 25-year consecutive sentence “overkill.”

The singer has suffered enough, including financially, Bonjean said. She said his worth once approached $1 billion, but that he “is now destitute.”

Just before Kelly was taken back to detention Thursday, Bonjean requested that he not be placed on suicide watch because constant checks by guards “is in and of itself cruel” and “creates mental health issues.”

“He was expecting this,” she told the judge. “Mr. Kelly … is not suicidal.”

CHICAGO: A federal judge on Thursday rejected a call from prosecutors to keep R Kelly behind bars until he is 100, instead telling the Grammy Award-winning R&B singer he would serve all but one of his 20 years on child sex convictions simultaneously with a previous sentence.

Handed down in a courtroom in Kelly’s hometown of Chicago, the sentence means Kelly could make it out of prison alive when he is about 80. Prosecutors had asked Judge Harry Leinenweber to sentence him to 25 years — and to not let him begin serving those until after he completed the first 30-year sentence, imposed on him last year in New York for federal racketeering and sex trafficking convictions.

“The nature of this offense is … horrific,” Leinenweber said in explaining the 20-year sentence. He noted that Kelly’s sexual abuse victims would suffer from his crimes for the rest of their lives.

At the same time, he accepted defense arguments that Kelly might not even make it to 80, so handing him a consecutive lengthy sentence, rather than allowing him to serve all but one year of it simultaneously, didn’t make much sense.

“He has a life expectancy of not a hell of a lot more,” the judge said. “He is 56 years of age.”

Kelly’s defense lawyer celebrated the ruling as a victory, and some of the singer’s fans could be heard cheering outside the courtroom.

Kelly remained still, his eyes downcast, as Leinenweber explained what was at times a hard-to-follow sentence. He did seem to show some emotion when a representative read a statement written by “Jane,” one of his accusers and a key prosecution witness.

“I was brainwashed by Robert and a sex slave,” Jane’s statement said. “It almost killed me.”

Kelly did not make a statement in court prior to the sentencing decision, heeding the advice of his lawyer, Jennifer Bonjean, to stay quiet while they appeal both his Chicago and New York convictions.

“It’s the right outcome,” Bonjean said of the sentence after the hearing ended. “The judge was reasonable. He, I think, took into account both sides and ultimately was fair.”

The U.S. Attorney in Chicago, John Lausch, conceded that prosecutors were disappointed Kelly didn’t receive more consecutive prison time. But he added, “Twenty years is a significant sentence, and we are happy that that was imposed in this case.”

The judge said at the outset of Thursday’s hearing that he did not accept the government’s contention that Kelly used fear to woo underage girls for sex, a determination that was important in deciding whether to extend Kelly’s current term significantly.

“The (government’s) whole theory of grooming, was sort of the opposite of fear of bodily harm,” the judge told the court. “It was the fear of lost love, lost affections (from Kelly)’. … It just doesn’t seem to me that it rises to the fear of bodily harm.”

Two of Kelly’s accusers asked the judge Thursday to punish him harshly.

“When your virginity is taken by a pedophile at 14 … your life is never your own,” Jane’s statement read.

Another accuser, who used the pseudonym “Nia,” addressed Kelly directly in court. Speaking forcefully as her voice quivered, Nia said Kelly would repeatedly point out her alleged faults while he abused her.

“Now you are here … because there is something wrong with you,” she said. “No longer will you be able to harm children.”

Jurors in Chicago convicted Kelly last year on six of 13 counts: three of producing child porn and three of enticement of minors for sex. Prosecutors did not get a conviction on the marquee charge: that Kelly and his then-business manager successfully rigged his state child pornography trial in 2008.

Kelly rose from poverty in Chicago to become one of the world’s biggest R&B stars. Known for his smash hit “I Believe I Can Fly” and for sex-infused songs such as “Bump n’ Grind,” he sold millions of albums even after allegations about his abuse of girls began circulating publicly in the 1990s.

Prosecutors had previously described Kelly as “a serial sexual predator” who used his fame and wealth to reel in, sexually abuse and then discard star-struck fans.

At Thursday’s hearing, U.S. Assistant Attorney Jeannice Appenteng urged the judge to keep Kelly in prison “for the rest of his life.”

Kelly’s abuse of children was especially appalling, she said, because he “memorialized” his abuse by filming victims, including Jane. Appenteng told the court Kelly “used Jane as a sex prop, a thing” for producing pornographic videos.

Bonjean has said repeatedly that the government singled out her client because he is a superstar and she previously accused prosecutors of offering an “embellished narrative” to get the judge to join what she called the government’s “bloodthirsty campaign to make Kelly a symbol of the #MeToo movement.”

She echoed that theme Thursday in calling the request for a 25-year consecutive sentence “overkill.”

The singer has suffered enough, including financially, Bonjean said. She said his worth once approached $1 billion, but that he “is now destitute.”

Just before Kelly was taken back to detention Thursday, Bonjean requested that he not be placed on suicide watch because constant checks by guards “is in and of itself cruel” and “creates mental health issues.”

“He was expecting this,” she told the judge. “Mr. Kelly … is not suicidal.”

By Associated Press

CHICAGO: A federal jury was impaneled Tuesday in R. Kelly’s hometown of Chicago to decide multiple charges against the R&B singer, as prosecutors and defense attorneys argued toward the end of the process about whether the government was improperly attempting to keep some Blacks off the jury.

Kelly, who is Black, is accused of enticing minors for sex, of producing child pornography and of fixing his 2008 state child pornography trial at which he was acquitted.

As the sides began exercising peremptory challenges — in which they can remove a fixed number of potential jurors from the pool — Kelly attorney Jennifer Bonjean accused prosecutors of seeking to strike Blacks “to deny Mr. Kelly a jury of his peers.”

Prosecutors noted multiple African Americans had already made it onto the jury before the defense objected, and they argued their reasons for wanting to strike some had nothing to do with race. In one case, they said one older man appeared to have a hard time staying awake.

Judge Harry Leinenweber partially agreed with the defense, disallowing prosecutors from striking three Blacks from the jury, and restoring them. About half the 12 jurors impaneled were identified as Black by the judge, prosecutor and defense attorneys.

Six alternates were also selected.

Some of the jurors selected had watched at least part of a six-part documentary series, “Surviving R. Kelly,” about sex abuse allegations against the Grammy award-winning singer. Watching it wasn’t an automatic disqualification as long as a would-be juror could assure Judge Leinenweber they could still be impartial.

Among the 12 jurors selected was a retired real estate agent who had one son who was a prosecutor and another son who was a defense attorney. Another juror was a librarian.

Opening statements are scheduled for Wednesday morning, after which prosecutors will begin calling witnesses.

In all, the judge dismissed about half of the more than 100 potential jurors who were vetted over two days in a large, 25th floor courtroom in downtown Chicago.

Among those dismissed was a woman who said she had unfavorable views of police and judges, a woman who said she once took martial arts classes with Kelly’s kids and a man who said he didn’t think the IRS should exist.

Leinenweber tended to dismiss would-be jurors when they expressed even the slightest reservations. He dismissed one juror who said large gatherings make him anxious, and a U.S. postal worker who worried mail would be delayed if she wasn’t there.

Kelly, dressed in a gray suit and wearing a surgical mask over his mouth and nose, followed proceedings from a defense table, sometimes appearing to study would-be jurors Tuesday as they answered the judge’s questions.

During a break around lunch, several Kelly supporters on court spectator benches made heart signs with their hands and directed them at Kelly. He appeared to notice across the courtroom, smiling and nodding his head.

One central focus of the trial will be on whether Kelly threatened and paid off a girl with whom he allegedly videotaped himself having sex when he was about 30 and she was no older than 14. That’s the allegation underpinning another of the charges against Kelly, conspiracy to obstruct justice.

Jurors in the 2008 child pornography trial acquitted Kelly, with some later explaining that they felt they had no choice because the girl did not testify. The woman, now in her 30s and referred to in court filings only as “Minor 1,” will be the government’s star witness in the federal trial that’s expected to last four weeks.

When she testifies, prosecutors explained in court Monday that they won’t use her real name and won’t refer to her as Minor 1. Instead, they will call her by a single pseudonym, “Jane.” Kelly’s lawyers suggested they could contest where some of his accusers were minors at the time Kelly is accused if video recording or enticing them,

Kelly, 55, already has already been sentenced by a New York federal judge to a 30-year prison term for a 2021 conviction on charges that he used his fame to sexually abuse other young fans.

Kelly, who rose from poverty on Chicago’s South Side to become a star singer, songwriter and producer, will be around 80 before qualifying for early release based on his sentence imposed in New York, which he is appealing. A conviction for just one count of producing child pornography carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison.

Kelly faces four counts of enticement of minors for sex — one each for four other accusers. They, too, are expected to testify.

Two Kelly associates, Derrel McDavid and Milton Brown, are co-defendants at the Chicago trial. McDavid is accused of helping Kelly fix the 2008 trial, while Brown is charged with receiving child pornography. Like Kelly, they also have denied wrongdoing.

Minor 1 is expected to testify that she was on video having sex with Kelly. The recording was at the heart of the monthlong 2008 trial and was played for jurors almost every day.

Minor 1 first met Kelly in the late 1990s when she was in junior high school, according to pre-trial court filings by the government. The government contends she had tagged along to Kelly’s Chicago recording studio with her aunt, a professional singer working with Kelly. Soon after, Minor 1 told her parents Kelly was going to become her godfather.

Prosecutors say Kelly later threatened and sought to pay off Minor 1 and her parents so they wouldn’t testify in 2008. None of them did.

CHICAGO: A federal jury was impaneled Tuesday in R. Kelly’s hometown of Chicago to decide multiple charges against the R&B singer, as prosecutors and defense attorneys argued toward the end of the process about whether the government was improperly attempting to keep some Blacks off the jury.

Kelly, who is Black, is accused of enticing minors for sex, of producing child pornography and of fixing his 2008 state child pornography trial at which he was acquitted.

As the sides began exercising peremptory challenges — in which they can remove a fixed number of potential jurors from the pool — Kelly attorney Jennifer Bonjean accused prosecutors of seeking to strike Blacks “to deny Mr. Kelly a jury of his peers.”

Prosecutors noted multiple African Americans had already made it onto the jury before the defense objected, and they argued their reasons for wanting to strike some had nothing to do with race. In one case, they said one older man appeared to have a hard time staying awake.

Judge Harry Leinenweber partially agreed with the defense, disallowing prosecutors from striking three Blacks from the jury, and restoring them. About half the 12 jurors impaneled were identified as Black by the judge, prosecutor and defense attorneys.

Six alternates were also selected.

Some of the jurors selected had watched at least part of a six-part documentary series, “Surviving R. Kelly,” about sex abuse allegations against the Grammy award-winning singer. Watching it wasn’t an automatic disqualification as long as a would-be juror could assure Judge Leinenweber they could still be impartial.

Among the 12 jurors selected was a retired real estate agent who had one son who was a prosecutor and another son who was a defense attorney. Another juror was a librarian.

Opening statements are scheduled for Wednesday morning, after which prosecutors will begin calling witnesses.

In all, the judge dismissed about half of the more than 100 potential jurors who were vetted over two days in a large, 25th floor courtroom in downtown Chicago.

Among those dismissed was a woman who said she had unfavorable views of police and judges, a woman who said she once took martial arts classes with Kelly’s kids and a man who said he didn’t think the IRS should exist.

Leinenweber tended to dismiss would-be jurors when they expressed even the slightest reservations. He dismissed one juror who said large gatherings make him anxious, and a U.S. postal worker who worried mail would be delayed if she wasn’t there.

Kelly, dressed in a gray suit and wearing a surgical mask over his mouth and nose, followed proceedings from a defense table, sometimes appearing to study would-be jurors Tuesday as they answered the judge’s questions.

During a break around lunch, several Kelly supporters on court spectator benches made heart signs with their hands and directed them at Kelly. He appeared to notice across the courtroom, smiling and nodding his head.

One central focus of the trial will be on whether Kelly threatened and paid off a girl with whom he allegedly videotaped himself having sex when he was about 30 and she was no older than 14. That’s the allegation underpinning another of the charges against Kelly, conspiracy to obstruct justice.

Jurors in the 2008 child pornography trial acquitted Kelly, with some later explaining that they felt they had no choice because the girl did not testify. The woman, now in her 30s and referred to in court filings only as “Minor 1,” will be the government’s star witness in the federal trial that’s expected to last four weeks.

When she testifies, prosecutors explained in court Monday that they won’t use her real name and won’t refer to her as Minor 1. Instead, they will call her by a single pseudonym, “Jane.” Kelly’s lawyers suggested they could contest where some of his accusers were minors at the time Kelly is accused if video recording or enticing them,

Kelly, 55, already has already been sentenced by a New York federal judge to a 30-year prison term for a 2021 conviction on charges that he used his fame to sexually abuse other young fans.

Kelly, who rose from poverty on Chicago’s South Side to become a star singer, songwriter and producer, will be around 80 before qualifying for early release based on his sentence imposed in New York, which he is appealing. A conviction for just one count of producing child pornography carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison.

Kelly faces four counts of enticement of minors for sex — one each for four other accusers. They, too, are expected to testify.

Two Kelly associates, Derrel McDavid and Milton Brown, are co-defendants at the Chicago trial. McDavid is accused of helping Kelly fix the 2008 trial, while Brown is charged with receiving child pornography. Like Kelly, they also have denied wrongdoing.

Minor 1 is expected to testify that she was on video having sex with Kelly. The recording was at the heart of the monthlong 2008 trial and was played for jurors almost every day.

Minor 1 first met Kelly in the late 1990s when she was in junior high school, according to pre-trial court filings by the government. The government contends she had tagged along to Kelly’s Chicago recording studio with her aunt, a professional singer working with Kelly. Soon after, Minor 1 told her parents Kelly was going to become her godfather.

Prosecutors say Kelly later threatened and sought to pay off Minor 1 and her parents so they wouldn’t testify in 2008. None of them did.