A federal appeals court has upheld singer R. Kelly’s 30-year prison sentence for sex trafficking and exploitation, finding that he used his fame to sexually abuse young girls and women for more than 25 years.
The Associated Press reported that the decision was made by the Manhattan Court of Appeals on Wednesday after hearing arguments last year.
Grammy-winning songwriter R. Kelly was convicted in 2021 of several charges, including sex trafficking and other crimes related to the exploitation of minors.
Attorney Jennifer Bonjean, who represents R. Kelly, said she believes the Supreme Court will accept the appeal, calling the appeals court’s decision “unprecedented” and saying it gives prosecutors unlimited freedom to apply what she called racketeering law.
Last year, the Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal of a 20-year sentence that R. Kelly received on child sexual abuse charges in Chicago, including charges of producing child sexual abuse images.
The appeals court rejected R. Kelly’s claims of inconsistency in the trial evidence, concerns about the constitutionality of some state laws used against him, prejudice of four jurors by the judge’s erroneous decisions, and the use of a racketeering charge typically used in organized crime cases.
“Enabled by a group of managers, assistants and other staff members for more than 25 years, Kelly exploited his fame to lure young girls and women,” the court ruling said, noting that members of his entourage helped him meet underage girls.
“The evidence at trial showed that he isolated them from friends and family, controlled nearly every aspect of their lives, and abused them verbally, physically, and sexually,” the panel of judges added.
The court also said it was “neither arbitrary nor irrational” for some accusers to testify at trial that Kelly infected them with herpes without telling them he had a sexually transmitted disease, and that it was not prejudicial or repetitious to allow seven witnesses who were not yet adults when Kelly began abusing them to testify.
In one part of the argument, an appeals court judge, Richard J. Sullivan, dissented from a recommendation to award a victim a lifetime supply of herpes medication. Bonjean’s attorney called the award an attempt to unjustly enrich witnesses.
R. Kelly, known for the hit song “I Believe I Can Fly” and the “Trapped in the Closet” series of songs, had sold millions of albums and remained wanted, even after allegations of abuse of young girls that began circulating since 1990.
