R Kelly found guilty of all charges in sex trafficking case

Singer R Kelly has been found guilty of leading a decadeslong scheme to recruit women and underage girls for sex in New York with the jury declaring him guilty of all nine counts of racketeering and sextrafficking charges the New York Times reportedThe jury consisting of seven men and five women convicted Kelly of racketeering and eight violations of an antisex trafficking law after nine hours of deliberations in the federal court in Brooklyn after beginning its deliberations on Friday afternoon Kelly faces the possibility of decades in prisonAn attorney for Kelly told CNN that they are considering filing an appeal as they are disappointed with the verdictKellys sentencing hearing is scheduled for May 4 2022The singer sat motionless in the courtroom as the verdict was read according to the NYTThe verdict comes 13 years after Kelly was acquitted of child pornography charges in Illinois He faces further charges in IllinoisTodays guilty verdict forever brands R Kelly as a predator who used his fame and fortune to prey on the young the vulnerable and the voiceless for his own sexual gratification Jacquelyn M Kasulis acting US attorney from the Eastern District said outside the court after the verdict was read according to CNNHe is a predator who used his inner circle to ensnare underage girls and young men and women for decades in a sordid web of sex abuse exploitation and humiliationThis conviction would not have been possible without the bravery and resilience of R Kellys victims I applaud their courage in revealing in open court the painful intimate and horrific details of their lives with him Kasulis saidNo one deserves what they experienced at his hands or the threats or harassment they faced about telling the truth about what happened to them We hope that todays verdict brings some measure of comfort and closure to the victims Kasulis addedIn the New York trial that began on August 18 Kelly faced federal counts of human trafficking racketeering child pornography kidnapping and forced labourKelly denied all the allegations against him and pleaded not guilty During the trial the prosecution sought to prove that not only is Kelly a predator but his team has long enabled his behaviourOver the course of the fiveweek trial the prosecution brought nine women and two men to the stand to tell their accounts of Kellys sexual physical and mental abuse along with 34 witnesses including former employees of KellyRobert Sylvester Kelly is an American singer songwriter record producer and convicted sex offender He has been credited with helping to redefine RampB and hip hop earning nicknames such as the King of RampB the King of PopSoul and the Pied Piper of RampBAlso read R Kelly arrested on sex trafficking chargesThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever