R. Kelly was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison Wednesday by Judge Ann M. Donnelly after being convicted for 9 charges, including sex crimes and human trafficking.
Prosecutors had been recommending a minimum 25-year sentence due to the heinous nature of Kelly’s crimes, according to TMZ. Dozens of witnesses took the stand, revealing that Kelly’s managers, bodyguards, and assistants would gather potential victims for Kelly, who would then proceed to groom them and impose sexual relations with them, according to TMZ. Kelly’s trial took over a month to unravel in court.
R. Kelly has been sentenced in his federal sex crimes case. https://t.co/ZwSIhwGbJc
— TMZ (@TMZ) June 29, 2022
Kelly did not take the stand in his own trial. His team called upon a handful of witnesses to speak at the trial in the Brooklyn courtroom. Prosecutors called upon significantly more witnesses, according to TMZ.
“You made me do things that broke my spirit. I literally wished I would die because of how low you made me feel,” one of his victims said on the stand, according to CTV News. (RELATED: Harvey Weinstein Appeals Sex Crimes Conviction, Claims Judge ‘Woefully Neglected’ Fair Trial)
“Although sex was certainly a weapon that you used, this is not a case about sex. It’s a case about violence, cruelty and control,” U.S. District Judge Ann Donnelly told Kelly in court, as she delivered his 30 year sentence, according to CTV News.
Kelly is still facing additional federal charges in Illinois, in addition to a state trial in Minnesota, according to TMZ.