R. Kelly may face life in prison at sex-trafficking sentencing

Fallen R&B star R. Kelly might spend the remainder of his life in prison when he’s sentenced Wednesday on fees he sexually abused a number of girls, younger ladies and boys.

Kelly, 55, is ready to look in Brooklyn federal courtroom after he was discovered responsible in September on 9 fees, together with racketeering and violating the Mann Act, which bars the transportation throughout state strains of girls and ladies for an “immoral purpose.”

The listening to is ready to start out at 10:30 a.m. and a number of other girls, together with some who testified at Kelly’s trial final year, are anticipated to talk in courtroom.

Prosecutors have requested Judge Ann Donnelly for a sentence of greater than 25 years for the “I believe I can fly” singer, whose full title is Robert Kelly – saying in a sentencing memo Kelly relied on his fame and money to “both carry and conceal his crimes.”

“He continued his crimes and avoided punishment for them for almost 30 years and must now be held to account,” the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York stated in a 31-page sentencing memo.

Prosecutors sought to painting Kelly through the trial as a predator with a sample of abuse over many years who confirmed no regret for what he had carried out.

“Indeed, the defendant’s decades of crime appear to have been fueled by narcissism and a belief that his musical talent absolved him of any need to confirm his conduct — no matter how predatory, harmful, humiliating or abusive to other — to the structures of the law,” the memo stated.

Jennifer Bonjean, an legal professional who has additionally represented disgraced actor and comic Bill Cosby, has requested for a sentence of fewer than 14 years.

The protection crew tried to painting accusers who testified as scorned followers, and stated Kelly shouldn’t get extra time for abusing a sufferer referred to in courtroom as “Jane” whose mother and father pushed for his assist together with her music career.

“The record shows that Jane’s parents directed Jane to lie to the defendant about her age and then encouraged her to seduce him,” Kelly’s attorneys stated in a courtroom memo.

There had been some 45 witnesses known as through the trial, with tearful testimony from sufferer Jerhonda Pace, who described a confrontation with an enraged Kelly, who she stated smacked her and compelled her to carry out oral intercourse on him.

One witness testified to strolling in on Kelly performing oral intercourse on singer Aaliyah when she would have been simply 13 or 14 years outdated.

Witnesses described the scheme for Kelly to illegally marry Aaliyah in 1994, when she was simply 15 and he was 27. Kelly allegedly feared the woman was pregnant and married her with the concept it could assist him keep away from fees for having intercourse with a minor, and bar her from testifying in opposition to him. A former member of Kelly’s entourage testified he bribed an official to get Aaliyah a faux thought exhibiting she was 18 so the wedding might go ahead.

Aaliyah died in a aircraft crash in 2001 at 22 years outdated.

Kelly can also be going through fees in Minnesota and federal fees of pornography and obstruction in Illinois.

The Grammy winner didn’t testify in his personal protection throughout his New York trial, however famously broke into hysterics throughout a 2019 CBS News interview with Gayle King and denied any wrongdoing. The interview got here in the wake of the collection “Surviving R. Kelly,” which documented a slew of the allegations in opposition to him.

He may select to make a press release at his sentencing Wednesday.

With Post wires