R. Kelly, the once-prominent music figure, has been officially sentenced to 20 years in prison in Chicago for child sex convictions, as determined by a federal appeals court on Friday.
Kelly, whose legal name is Robert Sylvester Kelly, was convicted by jurors in 2022 on charges related to producing child pornography and enticing minors for sexual acts.
He contested the application of Illinois’ revised statute of limitations on child sex crimes, arguing that the former, shorter limitations should have been applied instead.
Additionally, Kelly sought separate trials for charges involving different accusers due to video evidence presented during the Chicago trial, claiming they should have been tried independently.
However, a three-judge panel from the 7th US Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed these arguments, highlighting that despite evidence presented, jurors acquitted Kelly on several counts.
Prosecutors had sought a longer sentence of 25 years in Kelly’s hometown of Chicago and requested that his prison term start only after he completed a 30-year sentence imposed in New York for federal racketeering and sex trafficking.
However, the judge ordered that Kelly’s Chicago sentence run concurrently with his New York sentence.
Kelly’s attorney, Jennifer Bonjean, has not yet responded to requests for comment on behalf of her client.
Kelly is separately appealing his New York sentence, with arguments presented to the 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals questioning the use of racketeering statutes against him.
