R. Kelly To Learn If He Effectively Gets ‘Life’ Sentence until 2066

CHICAGO, Ill. — R. Kelly will find out whether he will spend the rest of his life in prison when a federal judge sentences him on child pornography and enticement of minors for sex on Thursday.

Prosecutors have asked the judge presiding over Kelly’s sentencing hearing in Chicago to order him to serve a 25-year sentence only after completing a 30-year sentence imposed in New York last year for racketeering and sex trafficking.

This would make the Grammy Awards winner, 56, eligible for release in 2066, a year before his 100th birthday. The defense seeks a sentence of around ten years to be served concurrently.

If Kelly is allowed to serve his new sentence and his New York sentence at the same time, he should be able to get out of prison around the age of 80. This gives him some hope that he will be able to go back to his life outside of prison.

Leinenweber stated at the start of the hearing that he did not believe Kelly used fear to entice underage girls for sex.

“The (government’s) entire grooming theory was sort of the inverse of fear of bodily harm,” the judge explained. “It was the fear of lost love, lost affection” (Kelly). … It just doesn’t seem to me to rise to the level of fear of bodily harm.”

Prosecutors argue that Kelly’s crimes against children and his lack of remorse justify the harsher sentence.

At the start of the hearing, a calm Kelly gave a brief statement when the judge asked if he had reviewed key presentencing documents for any inaccuracies.

“Your honor, I have discussed it with my attorney,” Kelly explained. “I’m going to rely on my attorney for that.”

Kelly’s accusers asked the judge to punish him severely.

In a statement read aloud in court, a woman who testified under the alias “Jane” said she had given up on her childhood dreams of becoming a singer and her hopes for fulfilling relationships.

“Robert Kelly has stolen my dreams,” the statement said. “I’ll never be able to make up for what I lost to Robert Kelly. “Robert has left a permanent scar on me.”

During Kelly’s trial, she was a key witness for prosecutors, and four of his convictions are linked to her.

Prosecutors seek an additional 25 years in prison for R Kelly.

Federal prosecutors asked a judge on Thursday to sentence singer R. Kelly to an additional 25 years in prison for his child pornography and enticement convictions in Chicago last year, which would be in addition to the 30 years he has already served in a New York case.
“When a pedophile takes your virginity at the age of 14… your life is never your own,” Jane wrote in her statement.

Another accuser, who went by the alias “Nia,” appeared in court and addressed Kelly directly. Nia stated, her voice quivering, that Kelly would repeatedly pick at her supposed flaws while abusing her.

“Now you’re here… because something is wrong with you,” she explained. “You will no longer be able to harm children.”

Kelly was convicted last year on six of thirteen counts by a Chicago jury: three counts of producing child porn and three counts of enticing minors for sex.

Kelly rose from obscurity in Chicago to become one of the world’s most famous R&B artists. Known for his smash hit “I Believe I Can Fly” and sex-infused songs like “Bump n’ Grind,” he sold millions of albums even after allegations of sexual abuse against him surfaced in the 1990s.

Prosecutors described Kelly as a “serial sexual predator” who used his celebrity and wealth to entice, sexually abuse, and discard star-struck fans.

US Assistant Attorney Jeannice Appenteng urged the judge on Thursday to sentence Kelly to prison “for the rest of his life.”

She claimed that Kelly’s child abuse was made worse because he “memorialized” it

She claimed that Kelly’s child abuse was made worse because he “memorialized” it by filming victims, including Jane. She testified in court that Kelly “used Jane as a sex prop, a thing” for making pornographic videos.

In papers filed before the hearing, Jennifer Bonjean, Kelly’s lawyer, said that prosecutors gave an “embellished story” to try to get the judge to join the government’s “bloodthirsty campaign” to make Kelly a symbol of the #MeToo movement.

Kelly has suffered enough, according to Bonjean, including financially. She claimed he was once worth $1 billion but is now “destitute.”

In court on Thursday, Bonjean stated that Kelly would be lucky to complete his 30-year sentence in New York on his own. Giving him a second consecutive 25-year sentence “is overkill; it is symbolic,” she said. “Why? It’s because it’s R. Kelly.”

Kelly’s silence, she added, should not be interpreted as a lack of remorse.

While she advised Kelly not to speak because he is still appealing his convictions and could face further legal action, she added, “He would like to, he would like to very much.”

SOURCE – (AP)