By Aaron Miller-
Disgraced singer R Kelly has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for using his fame to sexually abuse young fans – after coming face to face with some of his victims as they confronted him in court.
The R&B singer, 55, had been found guilty of sex trafficking and racketeering involving women, girls and boys
R Kelly, known for his anthem I Believe I Can Fly, was found guilty by a jury in New York City last September.
Last September, a jury in New York City found Kelly guilty of sex trafficking and racketeering, on all nine counts against him.
On Wednesday, U.S district judge Ann Donnelly imposed the sentence at the federal court in Brooklyn following accounts from several survivors who attested to how Kelly had exploited them and ruined their lives.
The disgraced singer was forced to listen as the survivors condemned his “despicable” actions and described him as “the pied piper of R&B” ahead of the judge announcing his lengthy jail term.
Deceptive Kelly promised to mentor them and help them in the music industry, but instead went on to subject them to degrading and systemic abuse.
He was found guilty of racketeering and trafficking following a high-profile trial in New York in September 2021, which came after years of accusations throughout his career.
At the trial, victims had described how Kelly, real name Robert Sylvester Kelly, subjected them to perverse and sadistic whims when they were underage. Several said he would demand that they strictly obey rules such as needing his permission to eat or go to the bathroom, and writing “apology letters” that purported to absolve him of wrongdoing.
Ahead of sentencing on Wednesday, some of the victims made statements, including “Angela”, who said “with every addition of a new victim you grew in wickedness”. On this day of sentencing “we reclaim our names”, she said. “We are no longer the preyed-upon individuals we once were.”
In her victim statement, Lizette Martinez said: “Robert, you destroyed so many people’s lives.”
Another, unnamed victim who directly addressed Kelly as he kept his hands folded and his eyes downcast, said: “You made me do things that broke my spirit. I literally wished I would die because of how low you made me feel. Do you remember that?”
At his sentencing by US District Judge Ann Donnelly on Wednesday, the court heard impact statements from seven women, presented anonymously as “Jane Does”, who said the singer had a “God-like complex” and used “fame and power” to entice his victims.
Dressed in a black face mask and grey prison-issue uniform, having been in custody since 2019, the 55-year-old looked straight ahead as the emotional statements were read out. He did not address the court himself.
“The pied piper of R&B, both in music and in technique and in approach,” a woman using the pseudonym Angela said as she addressed him in the courtroom. “Success and love… you presented these glittering gems as if they were gold.
“With every addition of a new victim you grew in wickedness, cockiness, diminishing any form of humanity or self-awareness, which soon became the breeding ground for your God-like complex.
“You were doing, saying and encouraging despicable things that no one should be doing. We reclaim our names from beneath the shadows of your afflicted trauma.”
Another woman told Kelly: “You are an abuser, you are shameless, you are disgusting.”
Several accusers and witnesses – men as well as women – had testified against the singer during his trial, with the court hearing how he subjected his victims to perverse and sadistic abuse when they were underage.
Once one of the biggest music stars in the world, a three-time Grammy winner whose chart-topping hits include I Believe I Can Fly, Bump ‘N’ Grind and Ignition, the full horror of some of his crimes was finally laid bare.