After a six-week trial, R. Kelly has been found guilty in all nine criminal charges against him. The R & B artist, Robert Sylvester Kelly, has been battling legal issues since 1996, and now according to the Associated Press, faces decades in prison.
The criminal charges that R. Kelly is convicted of, include one count of racketeering based on sexual exploitation of children, kidnapping, forced labor, and eight violations of the Mann act. The Mann act is defined as a federal law that “criminalizes the transportation of ‘any woman or girl for the purpose of prostitution or debauchery, or for any other immoral purpose’,” according to Cornell Law. Racketeering is a charge associated with organized crime, according to The New York Times.
Each violation of the Mann act carries up to 10 years in prison. Each racketeering count carries up to 20 years in prison. Kelly was arrested in July of 2019 when federal prosecutors in New York and Illinois unsealed charges against him. Since 2019, Kelly has been in jail without bail.
The testimonies that the jury heard focused on Kelly’s marriage to an underage woman, drugging, and sexually assaulting women. Prosecutors stated that people close to Kelly worked to promote his music, and recruited young girls to exploit sexually and to produce pornography, according to The New York Times. Prosecutors also stated that Kelly employed the use of his bodyguards, personal assistants, and drivers to entice young girls with money to work for Kelly. The women involved were forced to follow strict rules created by Kelly or else face punishment, as reported by NPR.
Anniesa Atischand ‘22 believes that Kelly’s conviction is long awaited. “I think it is interesting how this has been going on for years, ” said Atischand. “Would there have been more action if these victims were white?”
The timeline for the trial is alarming to Treva B. Lindsey, a professor at Ohio State University. “We needed a first trial, a video, a marriage license, a docuseries, a social media campaign, organizers in town — all just to get to this moment within the criminal legal system,” said Lindsey.
R. Kelly’s trial has been regarded as a crucial case for the #metoo movement. It is crucial to the movement since it involves a famous singer whose victims are primarily Black women, explained by The New York Times. The New York Times reports that some data demonstrates that Black women are more likely to experience sexual violence but less likely to report it.
Atischand hopes that this case will propel the #metoo movement forward. “It’s unfortunate that these girls are so young and haven’t found their voices yet,” stated Atischand. “I think the Me Too movement will help young girls become comfortable sharing their stories.”