The Two Faces of the 'R&B' King R. Kelly, Also Guilty of Child Sexual Exploitation Charges

Chicago Court Sentences to 30 Years Imprisonment and $100,000 Fine
Also Sentenced to 30 Years in June Last Year in New York for Prostitution Charges
Involved in Child Sexual Assault and Production of Child Sexual Exploitation Videos

R. Kelly, a singer famous in Korea for the Grammy-winning song "I Believe I Can Fly," has been found to have been involved in child prostitution and the production of child sexual exploitation videos in several states in the United States.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Bang Je-il] American R&B singer R. Kelly (Robert Sylvester Kelly) was found guilty of child sex crimes and other charges in his second federal trial held in Chicago, following the one in New York.

Known domestically for his Grammy-winning song "I Believe I Can Fly," R. Kelly was revealed to have been involved in the trafficking of minors and the production of child sexual exploitation videos across several U.S. states.

According to foreign media including the New York Post on the 14th (local time), the U.S. District Court in Chicago, Illinois, sentenced R. Kelly to 30 years in prison and a fine of $100,000 (approximately 139.46 million KRW) for three charges including the production of child sexual exploitation videos.

R. Kelly’s child sex crimes first came to light in 2002. He was indicted on charges of producing child sexual exploitation videos after a video surfaced showing him sexually abusing his then 14-year-old daughter figure. He vehemently denied the charges, claiming the man in the video was not him, and was acquitted in 2008.

The acquittal was due to the victim, Kelly’s daughter figure, refusing to testify at that time.

In the trial held at the Chicago federal court this time, the victim stated that she was forced to lie by R. Kelly during the 2008 trial. Another victim testified that she was sexually abused at Kelly’s home and recording studio when she was 14, and was forced to have sex with Kelly over 80 times at ages 15 and 16.

On this day, the jury found Kelly guilty on 6 of the 13 charges he faced, including 3 child sex crime charges.

John Lausch Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, said, "I am especially pleased that Kelly can be punished for abusing his 14-year-old daughter figure."

Regarding the court’s sentencing, Kelly’s lawyer claimed, “This is a result of a hasty judgment triggered by the Me Too movement,” and argued that “Kelly is a victim of extortion and financial exploitation,” but this was not accepted.

◆ The Ugly Truth of the R&B King

Besides the child sexual abuse, Kelly’s ugly truth was revealed when it became known in 2017 that he kidnapped, confined, and enslaved women, including many minors, as sex slaves.

Kelly was indicted last June on a total of 14 charges including kidnapping, bribery, sex trafficking, and child sexual exploitation.

At that time, U.S. prosecutors explained their sentencing request in documents submitted to the Brooklyn federal court, stating, "Kelly remains an extremely dangerous presence to the public, and it is justified to imprison him until his 70s," adding, "The defendant inflicted repeated and continuous physical and mental harm on the victims. There is little doubt that if given the opportunity, the defendant would commit crimes again."

The New York court sentenced Kelly to 30 years in prison for a total of 9 crimes, including one count of extortion and violations of international sex trafficking laws.

During the trial held in New York, victims testified that "Kelly hid the fact that he had a sexually transmitted disease and transmitted herpes," and that "he applied excrement to their faces and filmed videos."

Meanwhile, the Chicago Tribune explained that if the guilty verdict from the previous Chicago federal court is confirmed, up to an additional 10 years could be added to the 30-year sentence Kelly received from the New York federal court.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.