After years of dodging allegations of sexual abuse, R. Kelly will finally learn his sentencing in court today. The embattled singer is expected to appear in front of a judge who will hand down a sentence in his sex trafficking and racketeering case. The singer was found guilty of luring women and girls for sex in 2021 during a federal trial in Brooklyn.
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The prosecutors on the case are urging a sentence of 25 years behind bars for using his “fame, money and power” to “prey upon children and young women for his own sexual gratification,” according to a filing. However, Kelly’s team has stated that the singer should be sentenced to no more than 10 years in prison, claiming that he “experienced a traumatic childhood involving severe, prolonged childhood sexual abuse, poverty, and violence” that contributed to his “hypersexual” behavior.
“His victimization continued into adulthood where, because of his literacy deficiencies, the defendant has been repeatedly defrauded and financially abused, often by the people he paid to protect him,” his legal team said.
The unsealed memo from Kelly’s attorney Jennifer Bonjean said that the singer is a “musical genius” with a “rich and complicated story that is highly relevant to this Court’s goal of fashioning an appropriate sentence for him.”
However, the prosecutors stated that Kelly still hasn’t taken accountability for his actions.
“First, the defendant continues to avoid any acknowledgment of the seriousness of his conduct or the harm that he caused, further supporting the government’s contention that the defendant has shown no acceptance of responsibility and is unlikely to be deterred from committing future crimes,” Assistant US Attorney Elizabeth Geddes wrote, per Insider. “Second, in his submission, the defendant perpetuates his version of events in a manner that is flagrantly false and contrary to the evidence adduced at trial.”
R. Kelly has been held behind bars without bail his 2019 after he was hit with a slew of charges. He still faces charges in Chicago for child pornography and obstruction of justice. That trial is expected to begin on August 15th.
We’ll keep you posted on any more updates surrounding R. Kelly’s case.