Kelly’s abuse of children was all the worse, she said, because he “memorialized” it by filming his victims, including Jane. The US assistant attorney Jeannice Appenteng urged the judge to impose a longer sentence and keep Kelly in prison “for the rest of his life”.
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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 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 sexual abuse imagery and three counts of child enticement.
“No longer will you be able to harm children.” “Now you are here … because there is something wrong with you,” she said. As her voice quivered, she 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. The woman was a key witness for prosecutors during Kelly’s trial. “I will never get back what I lost to Robert Kelly … I have been permanently scarred by Robert.” “I have lost my dreams to Robert Kelly,” the statement said. In a statement read in court, a woman who testified under the pseudonym “Jane” said she lost her early aspirations to become a singer 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. “It was the fear of lost love, lost affections … It just doesn’t seem to me that it rises to the fear of bodily harm.”Ī calm Kelly spoke briefly at the start of the hearing, when the judge asked if he had reviewed key presentencing documents for any inaccuracies. “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 coerce underage girls for sex. With Thursday’s sentence, Kelly will serve no more than 31 years and will be eligible for release at around age 80. That was what they asked for, arguing that his crimes against children and lack of remorse justified it. Kelly did not address the judge because he still faced prosecution in other jurisdictions and any statement could be used against him, Bonjean said.Prosecutors acknowledged that a lengthy term served only after the New York sentence could have erased any chance of Kelly getting out of prison alive. They also questioned why federal prosecutors have dedicated significant resources to prosecuting a Black artist when, they argued, many of the biggest white stars in rock 'n' roll history had been accused of abusing underage girls and "none have been prosecuted and none will die in prison."ĭefense lawyer Jennifer Bonjean alleged a double standard, naming 11 white rock stars in her sentencing memo who have been accused of abusing underage girls and gone unpunished. They acknowledged that the judge must impose a sentence of 10 years, but contended that it should run concurrently. Federal prosecutors in Chicago argued that the singer was so incorrigible that "the only way to ensure Kelly does not re-offend is to impose a sentence that will keep him in prison for the rest of his life." They wanted to add another 25 years to his existing 30-year sentence.ĭefense attorneys said Kelly, who is 56 and suffers from diabetes, was already facing an effective life sentence with the 30-year term.
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