R. KELLY SENTENCED TO 30 YEARS FOR RACKETEERING AND SEX TRAFFICKING
A federal judge has sentenced R. Kelly , who had been one of the most visible stars in music, to 30 years in federal prison, after being found guilty of sexually abusing a series of women, girls and boys. Kelly, 55, was in federal court in Brooklyn, N.Y., for the sentencing on the nine counts he was found guilty of in September 2021 including racketeering, transporting his victims across state lines for “immoral purposes,” a violation of the Mann Act. Judge Ann Donnelly said while sentencing Kelly that "“the public has to be protected from behaviors like this.” She asked him if he would like to make a statement, which he declined. "Yes your honor, that is my wish.” Prosecutors sought at least 25 years behind bars for Kelly, saying that he is a predator who used his celebrity to entice women into sexualy trysts with him, then psychologically and physically abusing them for years. During the sentencing hearing some of his victims were allowed to make statements and th