R. Kelly R. Kelly, the R&B legend who has been accused of sexual abuse and sexual misconduct and sexual assault, was found to be guilty by the courts of sexual misconduct and abuse in New York on Monday on every count in a highly publicized sex-trafficking trial, completing an hour-long trial of brutal evidence from the accusers.
Kelly, who has been in custody for much of the time since he was formally charged in 2019, was convicted on one count of racketeering and eight counts of violating the Mann Act, the law that bans the transportation of people across state borders “for any moral reason.”
“To the victims in this case, your voices were heard, and justice was finally served. We hope that today’s verdict brings some measure of comfort and closure to the victims,” Kasulis added.
Kelly 54, who could face years in prison when he’s sentenced the 4th of May, wore an apron and looked stoic when the sentence was read out loud before the U.S. District Court in Brooklyn.
Kelly “didn’t say much of anything” following an announcement of the jury verdict, Kelly’s lawyer Deveraux Cannick said to reporters. “He was shocked.”
Kelly is best known for the hit song of 1996 “I Believe I Can Fly,” was found not to be guilty of the charges. Kelly was born Robert Sylvester Kelly, did not appear to defend himself.
Gerald Griggs, a lawyer who claimed to represent several of Kelly’s accusers, as well as their families He expressed his gratitude to his clients for their “immense strength” and expressed his gratitude to the prosecutors.
“This is just the beginning. We’ve been fighting this battle since 2017, and many of the victims have been fighting this battle for years,” Griggs stated. “Finally, their voices were heard.”
The prosecutor of the prosecution, which was centered on the accusations of six witnesses, stated that Kelly was a sexual predator who assaulted young women and underage males and females for over two years.
Prosecutors also alleged that he, along with his associates, were part of a criminal enterprise that scoured and groomed victim to be sexually attractive, arranging for them to travel to concert and other events throughout the U.S.
In a final argument that lasted for two days in length, assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Geddes claimed Kelly and his gang of employing strategies taken from “the predator playbook” to manage his victims.
Kelly is accused of putting victims to hotels or in his recording studio, directing their meals and go to the bathroom, and requiring the participants to obey various “rules,” including demanding to be called “Daddy.”
“It is now time to hold the defendant responsible for the pain he inflicted on each of his victims,” Geddes told the court on Thursday. “It is now time for the defendant, Robert Kelly, to pay for his crimes. Convict him.”
Geddes claimed that one of the explicit videos on the record that was viewed by jurors during the trial but was not released to the public. It revealed Kelly grasping a victim’s hair the hair and obliged to engage in oral sex with another man.
She’s “will had been broken,” Geddes declared.
Kelly’s lawyers attempted to make his accusers appear to be “groupies” who sought to profit from his fame and profit from”MeToo” and the hashtag.
Cannick said that the evidence of many accusers was untrue In his concluding arguments: “Where is the fairness to Robert? Where’s the integrity of the system?”
Cannick claimed that a famous person like his client wouldn’t be in requirement for a criminal organization to lure women into sexual activities. Cannick claimed that his client “didn’t have to recruit women,” Cannick said to jurors.
He claimed that Kelly’s accusers weren’t required to perform any act against their wishes. They remained with Kelly’s firm according to him, since Kelly offered them lavish meals, free flights and other benefits.
In the 90s and decade of the 2000s Kelly is regarded as one of the greatest kings of R&B. Kelly was widely acknowledged for creating a new genre by releasing popular tracks such as “Bump N’ Grind” and “I’m a Flirt (Remix)” as well as”Trapped in a Closet,” a “hip-hopera” project “Trapped in a Closet.”
However, the conduct that he was accused of doing hidden behind closed doors attracted more scrutiny from the public with the emergence of the #MeToo movement which led to “#MuteRKelly” social media campaigns and protests against his albums and nationwide protests.
“Surviving R. Kelly,” “Surviving R. Kelly,” a Lifetime documentary series launched in 2019, which included the testimony of many accusers and heightened demands that he take legal action.
Kelly was exonerated of charges of child pornography in 2008.
The criminal trial that took place in New York, which started August. 18 and ran for about six weeks, featured the testimony of more than 45 witnesses. Seven jurors and five women heard the case on Friday and deliberated for 9 hours.
Also read :- Lights, Camera, Action’ will be heard in space, the Russian team will leave today to shoot the film