April 30th 2024.
R. Kelly, the infamous singer, recently faced a major setback in his legal battle. His attempt to appeal his 20-year sentence on sex crime and child pornography charges has been rejected. This decision was made on Friday, April 26, by the Chicago federal appeals court, which upheld Kelly's lengthy sentence for child pornography and enticement charges.
Kelly's legal team had made a last-ditch effort to argue that the charges against him had exceeded the statute of limitations. However, their appeal, which was submitted in February, was denied by the appeals court. They stated that the statute clearly stated otherwise, and thus, they affirmed Kelly's conviction. It is worth noting that the statute of limitations for sex crimes against children lasts for the rest of the victim's lives.
This appeal came a year after Kelly was initially sentenced to 20 years in prison for six counts of child pornography and enticement. These charges were related to allegations of him forcing minors into sexual encounters. It is important to mention that this 20-year sentence was for Kelly's Chicago convictions, and it did not include the 30 years he was sentenced to in New York City for counts of racketeering and violating the Mann Act by trafficking women across state lines.
However, there was a silver lining for Kelly as the Chicago judge ruled last year that 19 years of his 20-year sentence could run concurrently with his 30-year sentence in New York. This essentially means that instead of serving a total of 50 years in prison, Kelly will only serve 31 years. While this may seem like a small victory, it is still a significant reduction in his prison time.
The charges against Kelly in Chicago were based on five testimonies from individuals who claimed to have been sexually abused by him in the 1990s when they were minors. During his trial, Kelly had to listen to 45 victim statements, including 11 from people who alleged that they were physically or sexually abused by him. Throughout this entire ordeal, Kelly has maintained his innocence and pleaded not guilty to all charges. His lawyer, Jennifer Bonjean, has also released a statement stating that their fight is far from over.
According to Bonjean, they will be seeking a review from the US Supreme Court on the issue of statute of limitations. They also have other legal options available, including habeas remedies. And if they are successful in the New York case, it could potentially lead to a resentencing in Illinois. It is clear that the story of R. Kelly's legal battle is far from over, and there are still many twists and turns to come.
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