R&B Singer, Robert Sylvester Kelly aka R Kelly has been found guilty of sexually abusing women, boys and girls.
The “I Believe I Can Fly” crooner, who has been in custody for much of the time since he was formally charged in 2019, was convicted on one count of racketeering and eight counts of violating the Mann Act, a law that bars the transport of people across state lines “for any immoral purpose.”
The jury of seven men and five women deliberated for about nine hours for the past two days before reaching their unanimous verdict.
“Today’s guilty verdict forever brands R. Kelly as a predator, who used his fame and fortune to prey on the young, the vulnerable, and the voiceless for his own sexual gratification,” Acting U.S. Attorney Kasulis said in a statement.
“To the victims in this case, your voices were heard, and justice was finally served. We hope that today’s verdict brings some measure of comfort and closure to the victims,” Kasulis added.
Kelly, 54, who faces decades in prison when he is sentenced on May 4, appeared stoic and wore a mask as the verdict was read aloud in the Brooklyn federal courtroom.
The singer “didn’t say much of anything” after the verdict was announced, the singer’s lawyer Deveraux Cannick told reporters. “He was shocked.”