Famous R&B singer R. Kelly has finally been found guilty after decades of sexual abuse accusations. A Brooklyn, New York Jury consisting of seven men and five women found him guilty on all accounts on the afternoon of Monday with two full days of discussion.
As per the court, he violated eight counts of the Mann Act which is an interstate anti-sex trafficking law. He is accused of sexually exploiting a minor, kidnapping, bribing, and many more crimes.
As per New York Times, the 54-year-old singer wore a mask and sat still in the courtroom at the time of the verdict. His attorney expressed their disappointment at the verdict.
He has been denying the accusations against him for years. The prosecutor said that Kelly used numerous methods like physical and mental abuse, lies, threats, manipulations, and more to control his victims. He also said that his inner circle helped him. According to the government, the artist used his fame to get hold of the victims who were hi9s fans and aspiring artists.
Kelly forced his victims to follow ‘Rob’s rules’. The testimonies reveal that the women and girls were supposed to address him as ‘Daddy’ and they needed his permission to go to eat or even go to the bathroom. He made them lose contact with family and friends and become solely dependent on him. Most of his victims had to have sex with him and he recorded those events.
A total of 11 victims stood against him in the six-week trial. Among the eleven, six were minors when the abuse happened. Two of the victims were male. The late singer Aaliyah was among the six women who were involved in forming the government’s case. He was directed charged with the allegations. He illegally married Aaliyah when he was 27, and she was only 15.
He was charged with child pornography in 2008 in Chicago when he recorded a sex tape with a minor girl. The 2019 Netflix documentary series Surviving R. Kelly revealed his predatory behaviors once again to the public. The filmmaker of the documentary tweeted after the verdict that she is grateful to the survivors.
Kelly is still accused of similar kinds of charges in two other states as well. The sentencing will be given on May 4, 2022, in Brooklyn federal court.
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