Federal prosecutors in New York have proposed that popular R&B singer; R. Kelly should be sentenced to more than 25 years in prison after being convicted of s*x trafficking.
Prosecutors on Wednesday, June 8, said Kelly used his celebrity and fortune over a quarter-century to attract women and underage girls for s*x, displaying a “callous disdain” for his victims and exhibiting no remorse, according to a complaint in federal court in Brooklyn.
“Indeed, the defendant’s decades of crime appear to have been fueled by narcissism and a belief that his musical talent absolved him of any need to conform his conduct – no matter how predatory, harmful, humiliating or abusive to others – to the strictures of the law,” prosecutors said.
In the filing, prosecutors argued R Kelly showed no remorse for what he did, and that his actions were fueled by a belief that his “musical talent absolved him of any need to conform his conduct no matter how predatory, harmful, humiliating or abusive to others to the strictures of the law.”
According to the document, they also recommended that Kelly should be fined between $50,000 to $250,000.
To be convicted of the racketeering charge, he had to be proven guilty of at least two of the 14 underlying offenses. Prosecutors have proven all but two of the 14 underlying racketeering acts, according to jurors.
According to The Gazette, he is scheduled to be sentenced in the Eastern District of New York on June 29.
Jennifer Bonjean, Kelly’s lawyer, has stated that he should serve no more than 14 years in prison, and would explain why his “history and qualities” support a reduced sentence in a submission due next Monday.
R Kelly, aged 55, who has been jailed since 2019, remains a “serious danger” to the public, justifying keeping him behind bars until well into his 70s, prosecutors added.
The singer, whose full name is Robert Sylvester Kelly, was convicted in September of racketeering, including acts of bribery and sexual exploitation of a child, and separate charges of s*x trafficking.
In his federal case, Kelly was found guilty of all nine counts he faced one count of racketeering, with 14 underlying acts that included s*xual exploitation of a child, kidnapping, bribery, and s*x trafficking charges, and eight counts of violating the Mann Act, which prohibits s*x trafficking across state lines.
