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R&B singer R. Kelly will be sentenced Wednesday in a Brooklyn court after having been found guilty in a federal sex trafficking case in New York.
Kelly, 55, was found guilty in September of sex trafficking charges where prosecutors are asking for a minimum 25-year sentence behind bars. The defense is arguing a term of 10 years or less is enough.
Kelly also awaits another trial in Chicago for child pornography and obstruction of justice charges.
Kelly was initially discovered in 1990 by Jive Records music executive Wayne Williams while he was performing at a barbecue. He made his first debut, “Born Into The ’90s” with Public Announcement two years later in January 1992. The album was released a year later, and it soon went platinum.
FEDERAL PROSECUTORS WANT R. KELLY SENTENCED TO AT LEAST 25 YEARS IN PRISON FOR SEX CRIMES CONVICTION
Kelly then went on to release his second record and first solo album, “12 Play”, in November 1993. The album, featuring hits such as “Sex Me” and “Bump n’ Grind,” soon sold more than 5 million copies.
In August 1994, Kelly, then 27, married 15-year-old R&B singer Aaliyah D. Haughton in a secret ceremony in Chicago. The marriage was later annulled due to Aaliyah’s age.
Despite their marriage, Kelly helped produce Aaliyah’s debut album, “Age Ain’t Nothing But a Number”, which also went platinum.
A few years later in 1996, Kelly released his third album, “R. Kelly.” His hit song, “I Believe I Can Fly” from the “Space Jam” soundtrack, took the No. 2 spot on the Billboard charts. That same year, Kelly married 22-year-old dancer Andrea Lee. The couple had three children together — Joanne, Jaya and Robert Jr.
FILE – R&B singer R. Kelly leaves the Cook County Criminal Court Building on June 13, 2008, in Chicago. Kelly was acquitted on all counts after less than a full day of deliberations. The 54-year-old R&B singer will once again head to court this week. His federal trial in New York begins Wednesday, Aug. 18. 2021, and will explore years of sexual abuse allegations. He has vehemently denied the allegations against him.
(AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)
February 1997 marked the beginning of a string of sexual allegations against Kelly. Tiffany Hawkins filed a complaint against the R&B singer, claiming he committed sexual battery and harassment towards her when she was a minor. Her lawsuit was reportedly settled in 1998 for $250,000.
The remainder of 1998 came with several accolades for Kelly’s discography, including three Grammy Awards for “I Believe I Can Fly”, the release of his fourth and fifth albums, “R” and “TP-2.com,” the latter of which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard album chart.
In August 2001, Kelly became involved in another sexual lawsuit against him. Tracy Sampson alleged their sex was illegal under Illinois law due to Kelly having a “position of authority” over her. The lawsuit was reportedly settled out of court for an undisclosed amount.
R. KELLY ASSOCIATE SENTENCED FOR WITNESS INTIMIDATION ATTEMPT
On February 8, 2002, the Chicago Sun-Times reported having received a videotape allegedly showing Kelly having sex with an underage girl. Both the girl and her parents denied the sexual encounter with Kelly at the time, with Chicago Police saying they had been investigating this same incident from three years back.
Kelly was later indicted in 2002 in Chicago on child pornography charges relating to the sex tape obtained by the Sun-Times. He pleaded not guilty and was released on a $750,000 bail.
A few months later in 2003, Kelly was arrested in Florida on another child pornography charge. Investigators say they found photographs of him having sex with a minor. However, these charges were later dropped after it was ruled police did not have a search warrant to search the singer’s home.
CHICAGO, IL – SEPTEMBER 17: Singer R. Kelly turns to leave after appearing at a hearing at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse on September 17, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. Kelly is facing multiple sexual assault charges and is being held without bail.
((Photo by Antonio Perez – Pool via Getty Images))
In 2005, Andrea Kelly filed for an order of protection against Kelly, alleging Kelly hit her when she expressed she wanted to file for divorce. Just a few months later, Kelly was hit with another allegation. His brother, Carey Kelly, alleged Kelly offered him $50,000 and a record deal to say he was in the sex tape, not Kelly.
Kelly’s child pornography trial started in 2008, on which he was later acquitted after less than a full day of deliberations. His divorce from Andrea was finalized a few months later in 2009.
In 2012, the Chicago Sun-Times reported Kelly owed more than $4.8 million in back taxes to the IRS, which was then followed by the release of his autobiography, “Soulacoaster: The Diary of Me,” where he avoided any focus on his legal matters.
The internet movement to shut down Kelly began in 2017, with Buzzfeed reporting on parents’ claims that Kelly had brainwashed their daughters and had an abusive “cult.” One woman reported being with Kelly willingly. Activists then started the #MuteRKelly movement shortly after in an effort to boycott the singer’s music.
Time’s Up later joined in on this movement, pushing for further investigation into the allegations against Kelly. His team responded, “We will vigorously resist this attempted public lynching of a black man who has made extraordinary contributions to our culture”, according to the Associated Press. His music was later cut on Spotify, Apple and Pandora.
In this June 6, 2019, file photo, singer R. Kelly pleaded not guilty to 11 additional sex-related felonies during a court hearing before Judge Lawrence Flood at Leighton Criminal Court Building in Chicago. R&B singer R. Kelly is due in federal court to enter a plea to an updated federal indictment that includes sex abuse allegations involving a new accuser. The 53-year-old is expected to plead not guilty at a hearing Thursday, March 5, 2020, in Chicago to a superseding indictment unsealed last month that includes multiple counts of child pornography.
(E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune via AP, Pool)
In May 2018, Faith Rodgers accused Kelly of sexual battery and mental and verbal abuse during their year-long relationship. She also accused Kelly of knowingly giving her herpes. This was followed in 2019 by Rodgers saying Kelly threatened to reveal details of her sexual history in a letter written to her lawyers if she did not drop her lawsuit.
A year later, Kelly was arrested and charged with 10 counts of aggravated sexual abuse. His lean team entered a not guilty plea on his behalf, after which he posted bail and was released from jail. In a CBS interview aired that same year, Kelly denied the sexual charges against him.
Kelly was later charged with 11 new sex-related counts in Chicago where a woman alleged he had sexually abused her while she was underage.
R. KELLY GUILTY VERDICT BRINGS LONG-OVERDUE JUSTICE TO PREDOMINANTLY BLACK FEMALE VICTIMS
Kelly was eventually indicted in 2019 in Chicago by a federal grand jury on charges of child pornography, enticement of a minor, and obstruction of justice while also being indicted in New York on charges of racketeering, kidnapping, forced labor, and the sexual exploitation of a child. Kelly was arrested in Chicago as a result.
That same year, he pled not guilty to federal charges accusing him of sexual abuse towards women and girls attending his concerts. His lawyers maintained they were “groupies.”
Later in 2019, Kelly was charged with prostitution and solicitation following an allegation that he had invited an underage girl to his room in 2001 and paid her $200 to dance naked with him. A few months later, he was charged by federal prosecutors with having paid a bribe in exchange for a “fraudulent identification document” for an unidentified female shortly before marrying Aaliyah. Kelly pled not guilty to this charge.
In this courtroom artist’s sketch R. Kelly, left, listens during his trial in New York, Thursday, Aug. 26, 2021. The 54-year-old Kelly has repeatedly denied accusations that he preyed on several alleged victims during a 30-year career highlighted by his mega hit “I Believe I Can Fly.”
(AP Photo/Elizabeth Williams)
Kelly later pled not guilty to a new indictment in Chicago involving a new accuser. Less than six months later, federal prosecutors announced charges against three men for allegedly threatening and intimidating women. These same women accused Kelly of abuse.
August 2021 marked the start of Kelly’s long-awaited federal trial related to his string of sexual allegations. He was found guilty of sex trafficking and violating the Mann Act a few months later in September. Kelly was then ordered to stand trial in Chicago on charges related to child pornography and obstruction of justice.
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Kelly is now expected to stand trial in Chicago in a few weeks in August.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
