August 25th 2023.
A judge has ruled that monies owed to R&B singer and songwriter R. Kelly must be turned over to victims who suffered sexual abuse from the jailed singer.
According to Bloomberg, over $500,000 in royalties owed to R. Kelly is currently being held by Universal Music Group NV and must be distributed to the victims. This ruling comes almost a year after United States District Judge Ann Donnelly stated that his jail commissary, which had an amount totaling $27,828, be garnished. The money was to be used to give the victims of his sex trafficking conviction as restitution.
On Wednesday, Judge Donnelly signed an order that the Universal Music Group must release the funds to satisfy unpaid restitution and fines that Kelly still owes. The restitution was ordered by Judge Donnelly when she sentenced him to 30 years in prison for racketeering and sexual exploitation of minors.
Billboard reports that Judge Donnelly signed a writ of garnishment, directing the record company to hand over $520,549. This amount will satisfy the amount Kelly owes. Initially, prosecutors had wanted to garner the money from both UMG and Sony Music Entertainment. However, due to the total restitution amount, Sony Music was left out.
Kelly's attorney, Jennifer Bonjean, has stated that the funds should not be taken out of his account. She has vowed to seek an appeal. Bonjean said, “We maintain that Mr. Kelly’s convictions and the restitution orders were erroneous and the Second Circuit will have the final word on it. I can promise that when the Second Circuit reverses Mr. Kelly’s convictions, we will seek the return of every cent that has been wrongfully taken from him.”
R. Kelly was convicted on eight counts of sex trafficking and racketeering on September 27th, 2021. On June 29th, 2022, Judge Donnelly sentenced him to 30 years in prison.
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