R. Kelly found guilty and convicted for sex trafficking

Retrieved from: https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2021/09/r-kelly-racketeering-trial-ends

Robert Sylvester Kelly, better known as R. Kelly, is a 54 year old, famous R&B singer, producer, song writer, and as of September 27th, a convicted sex offender.

Many allegations have come out against R. Kelly in the past decades from different young women, and children for sexual misconduct. He has denied everything that has hurled his way, and notoriously avoided any responsibility or criminal wrongdoing for said allegations.

R. Kelly’s name has been clouded with controversy, but public uproar became the strongest and most prevalent after the documentary “Surviving R. Kelly” came out on Netflix on January 3rd 2019. Kelly’s record label at the time, RCA Records, terminated their relationship with him after the documentary aired. The public uproar forced Cook County prosecutors to act, and Kelly was charged with 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse in February 2019 in Chicago.

The #MeToo movement was gaining traction parallel to the documentary, and facilitated the arrest of R. Kelly as the conversations, and narratives around sexual misconduct were shifting.

R. Kelly’s case and trial was extremely important and necessary due to how nuanced it was. It challenged accepted societal notions around sexual misconduct in regards to famous people. It seemed time, and time again that famous people were being held to a different standard, and were under the misconception that they are untouchable. Moreover, it was one of the only cases that predominantly showcased Black women, and their subsequent experiences around the subject. It snowballed into a bigger conversation around how Black women, and women of colour often have a harder time coming forward and getting justice.

The allegations against Kelly spanned more than two decades,so why did it take so long for him to finally be held accountable?

Some accounts of Kelly’s misconduct date back to the 1990s, where he showed predatory behaviour towards teenage girls. This was proven by his relationship with the late singer, Aaliyah who Kelly illegally married when he was 27 years old, and she was 15 by listing her age as 18.

Jurors heard testimony regarding Kelly’s relationship with Aaliyah through a witness who came forward to recount Kelly sexually abusing Aaliyah when she was about 13-14 years old in 1993. The witness further explained Kelly’s scheme to marry Aaliyah in order to protect himself because he feared he had impregnated her. It wasn’t until August 2021 that R. Kelly reluctantly admitted through his lawyers in court that Aaliyah was underage when he engaged in sexual relations with her.

In 1996, Kelly was sued for personal injuries and emotional distress by Tiffany Hawkins, who had a three year relationship with Kelly which started in 1991 when she was 15. and he was 24 years old. The case was settled in 1998 with Tiffany Hawkins receiving $250,000.

In 2001, Kelly was sued by Tracy Sampson “for inducing her into an indecent sexual relationship when she was 17.” She was an intern for Epic Records at the time, and she told the court that she was “treated as his personal sex object and cast aside.” She also stated Kelly of being extremely controlling. She settled out of court, and did not disclose the settlement amount.

Kelly had a string of out of court settlements with attached NDAs with various women including Patrice Jones in 2002, who claimed that he had impregnated her while she was under age, and Montina Woods in 2002 as well, who sued Kelly for making a sex tape of them and distributing it without her knowledge.

Kelly was charged with “21 counts of child sexual abuse videos involving various sexual acts” in June 2002, but he ended up posting his $750,000 bail and was found not guilty on all charges by the jury because there was doubt whether the girl was indeed a minor.

Kelly was also charged with “12 counts of producing child sexual abuse images in Florida”, but the charges were dropped before going to trial because the police lacked sufficient evidence according to the judge.

Kelly, and his associates were still attempting to avoid any consequences for decades of abuse by threatening and/or bribing witnesses. Three of his associates were charged in August 2021 with attempting to intimidate, harass or pay off alleged victims in the racketeering case.

However, Kelly denied having any knowledge of this.

Kelly’s sympathizers point to Kelly’s turbulent childhood, where he lacked of a father figure, and has a history as a victim of sexual abuse, which is an explanation for him being such a monster. He recounted in his autobiography how he was abused multiple times as a young boy, as young as 8 years old, by male and female family members and family friends.

However, the landslide majority consensus remains that his past doesn’t justify or excuse his behaviour and actions.

Kelly’s victims have finally seen justice as he was found guilty on eight counts of sex trafficking and one count of racketeerings by a Jury in New York on just the second day of deliberations. He is facing at least 10 years up to life in prison. Judge Ann Donnelly announced the jury’s verdict as Kelly sat completely still and silent. He is set to be sentenced in May 2022.

Furthermore, Kelly is also on trial in Chicago for child sex image charges, and he is set to face sex abuse charges in Minnesota as well.

Gloria Allred is one of the lawyers representing the victims and fighting to get Kelly behind bars. While speaking to reporters on 27th September after Kelly was found guilty, she said, "I've been practising law for 47 years. During this time, I've pursued many sexual predators who have committed crimes against women and children. Of all the predators that I have pursued, Mr Kelly is the worst."