The interpreter of the tube “I Believe I Can Fly” had been convicted of having led a “system” of exploitation of women for decades, in September 2021.
Article written by
Published
Update
Reading time : 1 min.
Fallen American R&B star Robert Kelly was sentenced to 30 years in prison for sex crimes in federal court in Brooklyn on Wednesday, June 29. The 54-year-old singer, known for his world hit I Believe I Can Flyhad been convicted of a series of sex crimes in September 2021, in particular having directed for almost 25 years a “system” sexual exploitation of young women, including minors.
The artist, born Robert Sylvester Kelly, was accused of perpetrating these crimes with impunity, taking advantage of his notoriety. The 90s R&B star has always denied the facts of which he was convicted: extortion, sexual exploitation of a minor, kidnapping, trafficking, corruption and forced labor, over a period from 1994 to 2018. Federal prosecutors had claimed at the least 25 years of criminal imprisonment because of the “danger” that this “criminal, predator” would represent for his victims and for public opinion.
R. Kelly appealed his conviction. He has also been charged with numerous sexual abuse charges in Chicago and in the states of Illinois and New York. The lawsuit is seen as a major milestone in the #MeToo movement, as it is the first time that the majority of plaintiffs have been black women and have accused a black artist. The singer had several times been accused of sexual abuse, but was acquitted in a trial in 2008 for child pornography.