He is still facing child pornography and obstruction of justice charges in Chicago, where a trial is scheduled to begin in August.R Kelly silenced Aaliyah and her family with a non-disclosure agreement after the annulment of his marriage to the then-15-year-old singer. Kelly has been jailed without bail since 2019. Kelly was 27 at the time.Īaliyah worked with Kelly, who wrote and produced her 1994 debut album, Age Ain't Nothing But A Number. She died in a plane crash in 2001 at age 22.Īn earlier defence memo suggested prosecutors' arguments for a higher sentence overreached by falsely claiming Kelly participated in the paying of a bribe to a government official in order to facilitate the illegal marriage. Witnesses said they were married in matching jogging suits using a license falsely listing her age as 18. Relationship with singer Aaliyah presented as evidenceĮvidence also was presented about a fraudulent marriage scheme hatched to protect Kelly after he feared he had impregnated R&B singer Aaliyah in 1994 when she was just 15. Kelly's lawyers had portrayed some of his accusers as girlfriends and groupies who were not forced to do anything against their will and stayed with him because they enjoyed the perks of his lifestyle. Kelly has denied any wrongdoing and plans to appeal his conviction. Some said they believed the videotapes he shot of them having sex would be used against them if they exposed what was happening. The accusers alleged they were ordered to sign non-disclosure forms and were subjected to threats and punishments such as violent spankings if they broke what one referred to as "Rob's rules". Several accusers testified that Kelly subjected them to perverse and sadistic whims when they were underage. Court hears shocking testimony from survivors Kelly used his "fame, money and popularity" to systematically "prey upon children and young women for his own sexual gratification," prosecutors wrote in a court filing earlier this month. A jury there acquitted him in 2008, and he settled the lawsuit.Īll the while, he continued to sell millions of albums. Kelly was sued in 1997 by a woman who alleged sexual battery and sexual harassment while she was a minor, and he later faced criminal child pornography charges related to a different girl in Chicago. The singer is known for work including the 1996 hit I Believe I Can Fly and the cult classic opera Trapped in the Closet. The Brooklyn federal court jury convicted him after hearing that he used his entourage of managers and aides to meet girls and keep them obedient, an operation that prosecutors said amounted to a criminal enterprise. Kelly's lawyers had argued he should get no more than 10 years in prison because he had a traumatic childhood "involving severe, prolonged childhood sexual abuse, poverty, and violence".Īs an adult with "literacy deficiencies," the star was "repeatedly defrauded and financially abused, often by the people he paid to protect him", his lawyers said. Kelly, born Robert Sylvester Kelly, did not address the court. Victims of Crime Helpline: 1800 819 817.Lifeline (24-hour crisis line): 131 114.Safe Steps Crisis Line (Vic): 1800 015 188.Sexual Assault Crisis Line Victoria: 1800 806 292."Do you remember that?" Sexual assault support lines: I literally wished I would die because of how low you made me feel," said one unnamed survivor, directly addressing Kelly, who kept his hands folded and his eyes downcast. "You made me do things that broke my spirit. The judge imposed Kelly's sentence after hearing from several survivors who attested to how his exploitation reverberated across their lives. It's a case about violence, cruelty and control," US District Judge Ann Donnelly told Kelly in court. "Although sex was certainly a weapon that you used, this is not a case about sex. The Grammy-winning singer-songwriter, 55, was convicted of racketeering and sex trafficking last year at a trial that gave voice to accusers who had once wondered if their stories were being ignored because they were Black women.
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