A federal appeals court on Wednesday upheld R. Kelly’s convictions for racketeering and sex trafficking, along with his 30-year prison sentence, ruling that the singer used his celebrity status for more than 25 years to sexually abuse girls and young women.
The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan issued its decision after hearing arguments in March. Kelly, a Grammy-winning R&B artist, was convicted in 2021 in Brooklyn federal court on multiple counts, including racketeering and sex trafficking.
Jennifer Bonjean, Kelly’s attorney, said she believes the Supreme Court will review the case, calling the appeals court’s ruling “unprecedented.” She argued that it gives prosecutors excessive discretion in applying the racketeering statute.
Last year, the Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal of Kelly’s 20-year sentence from a 2022 Chicago conviction for producing images of child sexual abuse and enticing minors for sex.
Kelly, born Robert Sylvester Kelly, is known for hits such as I Believe I Can Fly and Trapped in the Closet. Despite decades of allegations, he maintained commercial success until the #MeToo movement and the documentary Surviving R. Kelly fueled public outrage.
While he was acquitted of child sexual abuse image charges in Chicago in 2008, a separate 2022 trial in the city resulted in his conviction.