Yesterday, singer R. Kelly was sentenced in a Chicago federal courtroom to 20 years in prison following his conviction last year on multiple child pornography charges. US District Judge Harry D. Leinenweber said 19 years of the sentence would be served concurrent to his previous sentence in New York, and one year would be served consecutively.
Kelly, 56, was convicted in September on three counts of production of child pornography and three counts of enticement of a minor to engage in criminal sexual activity. A motion for a new trial was denied last week.
Kelly is already serving a 30-year prison term for his 2021 conviction on racketeering and sex trafficking charges in a New York federal court.
At Thursday’s sentencing, he faces a minimum 10-year prison term. Prosecutors have asked for a 25-year sentence to be served once his other 30-year prison sentence is complete.
Mr. Kelly’s conviction marked a stunning fall for a man who was once one of the biggest names in R&B music. It came after the first Me Too-era trial in which most of the victims were Black women.
