U.S. singer R. Kelly, performer of the super hit I Believe I Can Fly, was found guilty Monday of racketeering and sex trafficking after a six-week trial in New York in which dozens of people testified against him.
Singer R. Kelly found guilty of abuse and sex trafficking
R. Kelly was charged by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York with racketeering, coercion and transporting women and girls for illegal sexual activity in the United States for two decades, charges similar to those he faces in Chicago, where he was behind bars from his arrest in 2019 until last June.
At the trial in New York, prosecutors questioned at least 10 women over four weeks who said they were abused by Robert Sylvester Kelly, 54, and dozens of other witnesses who detailed an ongoing pattern of abuse.
The women described on the stand a charismatic celebrity who frequently singled out young victims attending his concerts, whom he sometimes sexually assaulted backstage minutes after the show.
Testimony also revealed Kelly’s prolonged abuse of his partners, whom he beat, forced to call him “daddy,” controlled how they dressed, when they could go to the bathroom or eat, how they interacted with other men, and whether they could leave the rooms of the residences or hotels where he kept them.
In addition, they found that R. Kelly used an entire network of employees to assist him in his efforts to recruit, isolate and intimidate the girls.
Attorney Gloria Allred, who represents several of the victims, said Kelly is the “worst sexual predator” she has seen during her long professional career.
