R&B singer R. Kelly was found guilty of nine counts of racketeering Monday in his sex trafficking case in New York following a six-week trial.
The 54-year-old singer reportedly sat motionless in the Brooklyn courtroom after the jury read the verdict that he was guilty on all counts against him, The New York Times reported. (RELATED: Superstar Rapper Says He Failed Alleged R. Kelly Survivors: ‘We Failed Our Communities As Black People’)
R. Kelly (Robert Sylvester Kelly) was convicted of one count of racketeering by a federal jury and eight counts of violating the federal Mann Act, also known as “the White-Slave Traffic Act of 1910,” making it illegal to transport people across states lines for prostitution. (RELATED: R. Kelly Indicted On Racketeering And Sexual Exploitation Of Children)
“Of course we are disappointed in the verdict,” Kelly’s the lawyer, Deveraux L. Cannick, shared as he walked through the courthouse, the Times noted. “I am even more disappointed in the prosecution for bringing this case,” which he said was was “replete with inconsistencies.”
Breaking News: R. Kelly was found guilty of being the ringleader of a decades-long scheme to recruit women and underage girls for sex. The verdict represents the first criminal consequence for the singer after decades of accusations of sexual abuse. https://t.co/NhoXmER3iK pic.twitter.com/4HLCG5focA
— The New York Times (@nytimes) September 27, 2021
R. Kelly found guilty of racketeering in sex trafficking case
Reuters 3:15 PM Eastern#RKelly was convicted by a federal jury of 1 count of racketeering
Also there are 8 counts of violating a federal law making it illegal to transport people across states lines for prostitution— Susan Li (@SusanLiTV) September 27, 2021
The singer’s been accused for decades of sexual abuse against underage girls and women, and the decision marks the first criminal consequence for Kelly, the NYT reported. (RELATED: Fans Don’t React To R. Kelly’s Boycott Over Sexual Abuse Allegations The Way You’d Expect)
U.S. JURY FINDS R&B SINGER #RKELLY #GUILTY OF RACKETEERING IN SEX TRAFFICKING CASE-BROOKLYN FEDERAL COURT
— Susan Li (@SusanLiTV) September 27, 2021
The jury, made up of seven men and five women, started deliberations Friday, CNN reported. During the weeks-long trial, the jury heard testimony from 50 witnesses who took the stand, with the case being largely based on his alleged encounters with six women.
Kelly did not take the stand in his own defense during the trial.
The singer was arrested in Chicago in the summer of 2019. Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn have alleged that he’s abused more than a dozen women, girls and boys for more than two decades between 1994-2019, Insider.com noted.
In 2019, a Lifetime docu-series titled “Surviving R. Kelly” came out. It focused on domestic and sexual abuse allegations against the disgraced performer from several accusers. Six months after the series aired, Kelly was charged with racketeering in Brooklyn, the Chicago Tribune noted.
Kelly faces ten years to life in prison after being convicted on all counts, the New York Post reported.
His sentencing hearing has been set for May 4, 2022.