Kelly, Jennifer Bonjean, right, and Ashley Cohen arrive at the Dirksen Federal Building for Kelly's sentencing hearing, in Chicago, Feb. She told the court Kelly "used Jane as a sex prop, a thing" for producing pornographic videos.Īttorneys for R. Kelly's abuse of children was all the worse, she said, because he "memorialized" his abuse by filming victims, including Jane. Assistant Attorney Jeannice Appenteng on Thursday urged the judge to set a longer sentence and keep Kelly in prison "for the rest of his life." In presentencing filings, prosecutors described Kelly as "a serial sexual predator" who used his fame and wealth to reel in, sexually abuse and then discard star-struck fans. 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. Kelly rose from poverty in Chicago to become one of the world's biggest R&B stars. Jurors in Chicago convicted Kelly last year on six of 13 counts: three counts of producing child porn and three of enticement of minors for sex. "No longer will you be able to harm children." "Now you are here … because there is something wrong with you," she said. Speaking forcefully as her voice quivered, Nia said Kelly would repeatedly pick at her supposed faults while he abused her. "When your virginity is taken by a pedophile at 14 … your life is never your own," Jane's statement read.Īnother accuser, who used the pseudonym "Nia," attended the hearing and addressed Kelly directly in court. The woman was a key witness for prosecutors during Kelly's trial four of his convictions are tied to her. … I have been permanently scarred by Robert." "I will never get back what I lost to Robert Kelly. "I have lost my dreams to Robert Kelly," the statement said. In a statement read aloud in court, a woman who testified under the pseudonym "Jane" said she had lost her early aspirations to become a singer herself and her hopes for fulfilling relationships. Two of Kelly's accusers asked the judge to punish him harshly. "I'm just relying on my attorney for that." "Your honor, I have gone over it with my attorney," Kelly said. Prosecutors say Kelly's crimes against children and his lack of remorse justify the stiffer sentence.Ī calm Kelly spoke briefly at the start of the hearing, when the judge asked him if he had reviewed key presentencing documents for any inaccuracies. … It just doesn't seem to me that it rises to the fear of bodily harm." "It was the fear of lost love, lost affections. "The whole theory of grooming, was sort of the opposite of fear of bodily harm," the judge told the court. Leinenweber said at the outset of the hearing that he did not accept the government's contention that Kelly used fear to woo underage girls for sex. That means he will be eligible for release at around age 80, providing him some hope of one day leaving prison alive. With Thursday's sentence, though, Kelly will serve no more than 31 years. It's what they asked for, arguing his crimes against children and lack of remorse justified it. Prosecutors had acknowledged that a lengthy term served only after the New York sentence could have erased any chance of Kelly ever getting out of prison alive. The latter would have been tantamount to a life sentence. The central question going into the sentencing in Kelly's hometown of Chicago was whether Leinenweber would order that the 56-year-old serve the sentence simultaneously with or only after he completes the New York term for 2021 racketeering and sex trafficking convictions. District Judge Harry Leinenweber also ordered that Kelly serve one year in prison following his New York sentence. Kelly a 20-year prison sentence for his convictions of child pornography and the enticement of minors for sex but said he will serve nearly all of the sentence simultaneously with a 30-year sentence imposed last year on racketeering charges. A federal judge on Thursday handed singer R.
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