Singer R. Kelly Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison Yesterday

            Infamous 90s celebrity R. Kelly was officially sentenced to 30 years in prison for his crimes against seven different women yesterday, June 29th. Robert Kelly (55), whose public appearance began to drown in 2019 after the release of the Surviving R. Kelly series, was charged last September on nine counts.

            According to the Independent, those nine break down into one count of racketeering and eight counts of Mann Act violations in regards to the sexual abuse he committed against multiple women and underage girls. The Mann Act violations include his transportation of women and girls across state lines with the intention of “immoral purposes,” and taking into account the testimonies and stories of women like Jerhonda Pace and the late singer Aaliyah.

            The R&B singer’s legal team spoke in court yesterday about the accused’s own traumatic childhood and the sexual abuse he experienced growing up, asserting these mitigating factors as reasons to warrant a sentence closer to 10 years, but prosecutors fired back that a sentence of 25 years or more is necessary to guarantee the protection of the public.

            Kelly still faces charges for prostitution with minor and federal charges for pornography and obstruction in Minnesota and Chicago respectively according to the New York Post. With this current sentence, he will be remaining in prison until his mid-80s.