R. Kelly failed to have his prison term of 20 years quashed. An appeals court has dismissed R. Kelly's motion, the decision of which came a day after Harvey Weinstein's rape conviction was overturned, to the dismay of the latter's victims.
The R&B artist, real name Robert Sylvester Kelly, was found guilty by jurors in 2022 of three counts of creating child porn and three counts of luring minors into having sex.
R. Kelly's Motion to Quash Sentence Denied
In his appeal, Kelly contended that rather than the current law permitting charges to be brought during the accuser's lifetime, Illinois's former and shorter statute of limitations, which allowed charges to be brought until the victim reached the age of 25 in child sex prosecutions, should have applied to his Chicago case.
R. Kelly's camp further contended that the allegations against one accuser ought to have been tried independently of the charges against three other accusers.
The Circuit of Appeals rejected all these claims.
Kelly had "employed a complex scheme to keep victims quiet," according to the panel, which described it as an attempt to evade the allegations altogether.
R. Kelly was caught torturing a child on camera during the trial; the girl, named only as Jane, testified that she was 14 at the time the tape was taken.
Even after watching those disgusting films, the three-judge panel observed that jurors cleared Kelly on seven of the thirteen counts brought against him.
However, Jennifer Bonjean, Kelly's lawyer, told TMZ, "Our fight is not over."
"And he has habeas remedies at his disposal. And if we win in NY. He will be entitled to resentencing in Illinois. So this story is far from over."
In his state, prosecutors had requested a sentence that was even more severe-25 years.
In addition, they asked the judge to postpone the start of that sentence until after he had served out the thirty years that New York had given him for federal racketeering and sex trafficking crimes in 2022.
Judge Harry Leinenweber denied that request and mandated that Kelly serve the 20 years from the Chicago case concurrently with the New York term.
The "Ignition" singer became one of the most well-known individuals found guilty of sexual misconduct during the #MeToo movement as a result of his conviction.
#MeToo Movement, R. Kelly and Harvey Weinstein's Rape Conviction
The New York trial of disgraced film mogul Harvey Weinstein proved to be a turning point in the campaign against sexual abuse, which gained widespread traction on the internet following the accusations of sexual abuse made by multiple victims.
Interestingly, in a shocking twist, Weinsten's conviction has been overturned.
Weinstein broke down in tears in prison on Thursday after hearing on the news that his convictions for sexual assault and rape had been reversed.
The 72-year-old, according to DailyMail.com spokesman Juda Engelmayer, is thrilled that "finally somebody listened to him."
Douglas H. Wigdor described the judgment as a "major step back" and said it would force the victims to repeat the trial. Wigdor has represented eight Weinstein victims, including two of the Molineux witnesses in the New York criminal trial.
"Today's decision is a major step back in holding those accountable for acts of sexual violence," he said in a statement sent to THR.
"Courts routinely admit evidence of other uncharged acts where they assist juries in understanding issues concerning the intent, modus operandi or scheme of the defendant. The jury was instructed on the relevance of this testimony and overturning the verdict is tragic in that it will require the victims to endure yet another trial."
