R. Kelly has been sentenced to another 20 years in prison, after being found guilty in his federal child porn case last September.
On Thursday (Feb. 23), R. Kelly appeared in court to learn his fate in his latest sex crimes case in Chicago. The disgraced singer was sentenced to 20 years in prison by U.S. District Judge Harry D. Leinenweber, according to a report released by the United States Attorney’s Office. Of the two-decade long sentence, Kelly will only have to serve one additional year after Leinenweber decided all but one year of the sentence will run concurrently with the singer’s current 30-year sentence for sex trafficking in New York.
“With today’s sentence, a sexual predator is being held accountable for the years of abuse he inflicted on minor victims,” U.S. Attorney John R. Lausch said of the decision. “Kelly used his celebrity and wealth to attract and victimize young girls, and to obstruct prior criminal proceedings intended to end his despicable conduct. We commend the courage and the strength of the victims who came forward in this case to expose Kelly’s crimes. Our office will never cease seeking justice for victims of child sexual abuse, and the public can take comfort knowing that Kelly will never again be in a position to exploit young girls.”
The prosecution was initially seeking a 25-year sentence that would be tacked on after R. Kelly completes the 30 years he is already serving, according to CNN.
“Robert Kelly is a serial sexual predator who, over the course of many years, specifically targeted young girls and went to great lengths to conceal his abuse of Jane and other minor victims,” prosecutors wrote in a filing. “To this day, and even following the jury verdict against him, Kelly refuses to accept responsibility for his crimes.”
However, the 56-year-old singer’s defense argued that he is already essentially serving a life sentence.
“In the unlikely event that [R.] Kelly was to survive his 30-year sentence, there is no reason to believe he would reoffend as a geriatric in his mid-80s,” his attorneys countered. “The overwhelming majority of Kelly’s criminal conduct was committed a quarter century ago.”
R. Kelly had more state criminal charges in Illinois pending. However, last month, the Illinois prosecutor dropped the charges citing Kelly already serving a de facto life sentence.
XXL has reached out to R. Kelly’s attorney for comment.
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