R. Kelly could spend his remaining days behind bars. A federal jury in New York convicted the “Down Low (Nobody Has to Know)” performer of racketeering, bribery, sexual exploitation of a child, forced labor, and sex trafficking.
The singer/songwriter born Robert Sylvester Kelly faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and up to life in prison. Kelly was also charged with federal crimes in Illinois as well as state crimes in Illinois and Minnesota.
The Domenick Nati Show caught up with “All Gold Everything” rapper Trinidad James for an interview. That discussion included James responding to a question about R. Kelly possibly being sent to prison for the rest of his life.
“With those types of situations, the details are always left up to the media – the actual real details,” answered James. “[R. Kelly’s] still denying it, but then the court, and obviously everyone on social media, is obviously saying that he’s wrong.”
The co-host of the Full Size Run digital show continued, “When you got one man versus the world – I’ve been in that position before – it’s almost humanly impossible to prove your point.”
Prosecutors & Filmmakers Laid Out A Case Against R. Kelly
R. Kelly was found guilty of being the leader of a criminal enterprise that took part in the coercion and interstate transportation of women and girls to engage in illegal sexual activity. Over 40 government witnesses testified against Kelly, including more than 10 victims.
Besides testimony, the prosecution also presented text messages, video and audio recordings, photographs, phone and travel records, and DNA evidence. R. Kelly was convicted of all counts by the federal jury in Brooklyn following the six-week trial.
Many of the decades-old sexual misconduct accusations against R. Kelly were also documented in Lifetime’s six-part Surviving R. Kelly docuseries. The Peabody Award-winning program exposed the wider public to R. Kelly’s history of alleged sexual abuse dating back to his illegal marriage in 1994 to a then-15-year-old Aaliyah when Kelly was 27 years old.
Chuck D, Syleena Johnson & Akon Also Shared Their Thoughts On R. Kelly’s Conviction
Several celebrities have walked back their tepid support for R. Kelly in recent days. Bill Cosby’s publicist retracted saying the 84-year-old comedian believed Kelly was “railroaded” by the justice system, and Public Enemy emcee Chuck D apologized for suggesting Kelly is allowed redemption before even knowing his sentence.
Vocalist-turned-Cocktails with Queens panelist Syleena Johnson received backlash for saying R. Kelly was being “misjudged” and he should be admitted to an “insane asylum” instead of being sent to prison. Senegalese-American singer Akon was also in the hot seat for saying Kelly should be given a chance to “redeem” himself.
In July 2019, R. Kelly was arrested on federal child pornography and obstruction charges. Two of Kelly’s former employees, Derrel McDavid and Milton Brown, were also indicted in that case. The government claims R. Kelly engaged in sex acts with multiple victims while they were all under the age of 18 and created numerous explicit videos with those minors in the late 1990s.
Producing child pornography carries a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years in prison and a maximum of 20 years in prison. R. Kelly is presumed innocent until a jury of his peers finds him guilty of the charges beyond a reasonable doubt.
