R Kelly Behind Bars Until He's 85 | BREAKING NEWS

Despite decades of sexual misconduct allegations, R. Kelly had long escaped criminal penalties. On Wednesday, he was sentenced to 30 years in prison for racketeering.

He has gone from being a superstar hitmaker known as the king of R&B to a shunned artist whose musical legacy has become inextricably linked to his abuses.

With hits like "I Believe I Can Fly," he was among the most successful American musicians of the 1990s and 2000s. However, as his popularity soared, he exploited his vast access to young fans and aspiring artists by luring them into sex.

After his federal trial in New York shed light on how he controlled fans and aspiring artists while using enablers and sycophants to ensnare them, the multiplatinum singer was found guilty of racketeering and other crimes in September.

As the first high-profile trial since the national reckoning around sexual misconduct to feature a powerful man whose victims were primarily Black women, the case was widely regarded as a turning point for the #MeToo movement.

Several accusers spoke to Judge Donnelly before the sentence was read, explaining how the singer ruined their lives.

The accounts complemented the testimony of 11 accusers - nine women and two men - who often told jurors Mr. Kelly had abused them sexually, physically, and emotionally. Several of them testified that they were minors when they had sex with him for the first time.

Jennifer Bonjean, Mr. Kelly's lawyer, argued that the government's understanding of the appropriate sentencing range was flawed - and asked for a sentence under ten years. In the end, Judge Donnelly sided with prosecutors, who requested a sentence of more than 25 years.

According to federal prosecutors, Kelly has shown no remorse and has displayed a callous disregard for the effects of his abuse on victims for decades. In their argument for his sentence, the defense argued that his actions were motivated by narcissism and a belief that his musical ability absolved him of any legal responsibility.

The prosecutors wrote that he committed these crimes while using his fame and stardom as a shield, which prevented close scrutiny or condemnation. He also had a sword that gave him access to wealth and a network of enablers for his crimes, as well as an adoring fan base from which to cull his victims."

He was accused of having sex with underage girls in the 1990s, and his illegal marriage to the singer Aaliyah in 1994, who was 15 at the time, raised questions about his behavior. After a trial in Chicago in 2008, Mr. Kelly was acquitted of child pornography charges in 2002.

In New York, a conviction finally stuck after the #MeToo movement renewed scrutiny of his conduct.

During her sentencing letter, Ms. Bonjean told the judge that prosecutors presented her client as a single-dimensional villain who was unworthy of humanity and dignity.

His "traumatic childhood" and "severe history of sexual abuse" by relatives and others deserve leniency, she said. As a child, Kelly was sexually abused, he said in a 2016 interview with GQ.

He is a complex (unquestionably flawed) human being who faced overwhelming challenges in childhood that shaped his adult life, said Ms. Bonjean.

Kelly's lawyers framed his accusers as opportunists and obsessive fans seeking financial gain at trial. Ultimately, the jury sided with the prosecution.

“The defendant’s victims aren’t groupies or gold diggers. They’re human beings,” Nadia Shihata, an assistant U.S. attorney, said at the end of the trial. “Daughters, sisters, some are now mothers. And their lives matter.”

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