R. Kelly was sentenced to 30 years in prison following his earlier conviction for racketeering, sex trafficking and more.
The “Ignition” singer, 55, was sentenced in New York on Wednesday, June 29, more than nine months after he was convicted of racketeering, with 14 underlying acts that included sexual exploitation of a child, kidnapping, bribery and sex trafficking. He was also convicted on eight counts of violations of the Mann Act, which is a sex trafficking law that prohibits the transport of “any woman or girl” across state lines for “immoral purpose.”
Ahead of the sentencing, several accusers delivered victim impact statements about the ways their lives had been affected by the Grammy winner. Kelly, for his part, declined to make a statement in the courtroom.
“These crimes were calculated and carefully planned and regularly executed for almost 25 years,” Judge Ann M. Donnelly said during the sentencing, according to The New York Times. “You taught them that love is enslavement and violence.”
This story is developing.