Robert Kelly convicted on all charges
R&B singer Robert Kelly has been convicted for racketeering and sex trafficking by the jurors after the six-weak trial in Brooklyn, New York.
The jury including seven men and five women, reached the decision on the second day of deliberations, convicting R. Kelly on all 9 counts.
Kelly seemed still with his head bowed as the verdict was read.
This comes 13 years after Kelly was acquitted of child pornography charges in a trial in Illinois.
He had also been facing several allegations of misconduct with young women and minors over the past 2 decades.
Robert Sylvester Kelly, had been charged with one count of racketeering and eight counts of violating the Mann Act, a law that prohibits transportation of people across the states for prostitution.
Kelly used his fame to lure victims including some from the crowd at his concerts with the assistance of his entourage, forming a large sex trafficking trail, according to the prosecutors.
R. Kelly, spanning a music career of 30 years, known for his 1996 Grammy winning hit “I Believe I Can Fly,” had denied all the sexual abuse and misconduct allegations in the past.
Many witnesses claimed to have hoped for Kelly to jump-start their careers but were trapped into obeying his demands (including sexual acts), facing punishment otherwise.
Late singer Aaliyah was also an alleged victim of Kelly, whom he had married illegally in 1994, when she was just 15. She later died in a plane crash in 2001.
One witness testified that he locked her up for two days, without food or water before sexually assaulting her while she was unconscious.
Several other witnesses claimed that Kelly forced them to scribe “apology letters” to absolve him of any wrongdoing, and hid the fact that he had herpes before intercourse.
Another underaged victim also claimed to have had sex with Kelly “everyday” when she was 17, and he would record the intercourse every time.
Kelly still faces federal charges that include child pornography and obstruction charges in Chicago.
In addition to that, he also faces state charges in Minnesota for two counts of prostitution with a minor and in Illinois for sexual abuse.