After a seven-week trial, R&B singer R. Kelly has been convicted of racketeering and sex
trafficking. The guilty verdict was announced in Brooklyn, New York on September 27th,
three days after the jury started deliberations. Kelly faced one count of racketeering which
included kidnapping, bribery, and sex trafficking charges. He was also charged with eight counts of
violating the Mann Act. According to Cornell Law, the Mann act criminalizes the transportation of
"Any woman or girl for the purpose of prostitution or debauchery, or for any other immoral purpose."
Gloria Allred (All-Red), a lawyer who represented three of Kelly's victims,
released a statement shortly after the guilty verdict was announced. Allred said,
"First, he used the power of his celebrity to recruit vulnerable
underage girls for the purpose of sexually abusing them. These were
not May-October relationships, which is what his defense attorney wanted the
jury to believe — these were crimes against children and some adults."
R. Kelly is facing decades behind bars after his most recent conviction. According to NPR,
the singer faces anywhere from 10 years to life in prison. Kelly will be sentenced on May 4th;
however, his lawyer Deveraux Cannick said they are planning to appeal the conviction.
Though Kelly didn't physically react when the verdict was being read,
Cannick implied the singer believed he would be acquitted. Cannick said,
"He was not anticipating this verdict because based on the evidence,
why should he anticipate this verdict? You saw witness after witness giving three,
four, five different versions as to what they said happened here."
Cannick also suggested that the prosecution's story was inconsistent
and didn't tell the whole story. He continued,
"You didn't get to see what we saw in terms of the discovery. You didn't get to see all
the inconsistencies. We said in our summation that the government cherry-picked their version
that they thought would support the continuation of the narrative."
Despite Cannick's claims, the jury readily sided with the prosecution
as it only took them three days to reach a guilty verdict.
Though R. Kelly and his team may be stumped by the guilty verdict,
much of the public celebrated the news. Shortly after the R&B singer was convicted, #RKelly was
trending on Twitter throughout the day, as people took to the social media platform to celebrate the
fact that some justice had finally been served for at least some of the survivors in the case.
It wasn't just spectators on Twitter who were pleased with the verdict; some of Kelly's
victims spoke out as well. For example, Kitty Jones, a former radio host and DJ who spent
two years with R. Kelly, said the verdict provided her with some comfort. Jones told the Daily Beast,
"We got justice today. I wouldn't say I now have closure,
because in the end none of us will get our time back. But this is a small victory."
This wasn't the first time Kelly has been charged with crimes of a sexual nature — the singer was
acquitted of child pornography charges back in 2008 — and it won't be the last, either.
According to the Chicago Tribune, the singer still has charges pending in Chicago, Illinois for
more sexual abuse allegations. He is also facing charges for solicitation in Minnesota, where Kelly
allegedly solicited prostitution services from a minor, per NBC. While we can't yet say what will
come from those cases, it's clear at this point that Kelly's future has been forever changed.
The conviction may also be remembered as a landmark case for social justice, as well.
Chicago prosecutor Kim Foxx opined that R. Kelly's
guilty verdict is a "monumental" win for the Me Too movement. She shared,
"It is my hope that through this trial and the toll that it has taken to get to this point,
that we recognize that the movement is not at its fullest strength if
everyone doesn't have equal access to justice."
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault,
help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest
National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).