Many suspects that disgraced music icon R. Kelly will spend the rest of his life in prison, and federal prosecutors are reportedly pushing for that to go from rumors to truth. Kelly has faced decades of allegations pertaining to child pornography and sexual deviances, and last September, he was convicted of related crimes, including sex trafficking. With his sentencing approaching in just a few weeks, prosecutors are asking for Kelly to receive nothing less than 25 years.
According to reports, Kelly’s attorneys argued at the end of May for the singer to be tacked with 14 to 17.5 years behind bars. That isn’t satisfactory for their counterparts. The prosecution reportedly stated that they believe Kelly poses a risk to the public if he was able to see freedom in the time that his lawyers have requested. It has been long alleged and mentioned during his recent trial that there was a team of people, including those employed by Kelly, that helped him execute his alleged sex crimes without turning him over to the authorities.
Pool / Getty Images
“[W]ith the aid of his inner circle and over a period of decades, the defendant preyed upon children and young women for his own sexual gratification,” federal prosecutors stated in a memorandum according to Law & Crime. “He lured young girls and boys into his orbit, often through empty or conditioned promises of assistance in developing a career in the entertainment industry or simply by playing into the minors’ understandable desire to meet and spend time with a popular celebrity.”
“In order to carry out his many crimes, the defendant relied upon his fame, money and popularity as an R&B recording star and used the large network of people his status afforded him – including his business managers, security guards and bouncers, runners, lawyers, accountants, and assistants – to both carry out and conceal his crimes,” they added. “He continued his crimes and avoided punishment for them for almost 30 years and must now be held to account.”
Kelly will reportedly learn his fate on June 29. He has another trial quickly approaching in Chicago and while incarcerated, reports have stated that the singer has made friends on the inside, including the shooter who caused destruction in a New York City subway months ago.