R&B singer R Kelly faces 100 years in prison after he was found guilty of all nine counts of racketeering and s*x trafficking.
A federal jury of five women and seven men reached the verdict after a six-week-long trial and nine hours of deliberation.
According to reports, the superstar faces up to 100 years behind bars – 10 for each of the s*x trafficking convictions and 20 years for racketeering.
Prosecutors said the 54-year-old singer ran a criminal enterprise in Chicago for almost three decades to “target, groom and exploit girls, boys, and women” for mental torment and unwanted s*x.
Witnesses said they were subjected to perverse and sad*stic whims but Kelly has denied it.
The acts presented during the testimony included kidnapping, druggings, child p*rnography, imprisonment, forced labor r*pe, and bribery.
S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York / Reuters
Jacquelyn Kasulis, the interim US Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, who prosecuted the case, said: “Today’s guilty verdict forever brands R. Kelly as a predator who used his fame and fortune to prey on the young, the vulnerable and the voiceless for his own s*xual gratification.
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She added that the 54-year-old is “a predator who used his inner circle to ensnare underage girls, and young men and women, for decades in a sordid web of s*x abuse, exploitation and humiliation.”
Gloria Allred, who represented three witnesses, echoed Kasulis’ remarks. “I have been practicing law for 47 years. During this time I have pursued many s*xual predators who have committed crimes against women and children. Of all the predators I have pursued, Mr. Kelly is the worst.”
“He used the power of his celebrity to recruit vulnerable underage girls for the purpose of s*xually abusing them,” Allred added.
Kelly’s attorney Deveraux Cannick said he was left disappointed by the verdict.
“I think I’m even more disappointed the government brought the case in the first place given all the inconsistencies,” Cannick said. “I don’t think anybody is ever prepared for an outcome like this.”
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