In the United States, a jury found rapper R. Kelly (Robert Sylvester Kelly) guilty of racketeering and eight violations of one of the laws against human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation.

In particular, R. Kelly was accused of running a criminal enterprise, which consisted of managers, bodyguards, drivers and assistants to the artist.

For more than 20 years, the rapper and his assistants have been recruiting women and children and subjecting them to sexual and psychological abuse, according to the charges.

“The objectives of this venture were to promote the music and brand of R. Kelly, recruit women and girls to engage in sexual misconduct with R. Kelly, and create pornography, including child pornography,” reads the indictment posted on the Boston Globe ...

And about.

Attorney Jacqueline Kazoulis said the conviction "forever characterizes R. Kelly as a criminal who used his fame and fortune to exploit the young, vulnerable and helpless for his sexual gratification."

She called the rapper a criminal who "used his inner circle to lure underage girls, young men and women into a hideous trap of sexual abuse, exploitation and humiliation for decades."

Kazulis emphasized that such an outcome of the case was possible primarily due to the courage of the women who suffered because of Kelly's activities.

According to Oronika Odelei, one of the founders of the #MuteRKelly campaign launched in 2017, proof of R. Kelly's guilt is “the culmination of a movement that brought together a huge number of women who have long tried to make their voices heard.”

Meanwhile, R. Kelly's lawyer Devereaux Kannick said his client did not expect such a verdict.

The lawyer himself is also disappointed with the jury's conclusion and is considering the possibility of filing an appeal.

He stressed that the investigation did not take into account the inconsistencies that the defense sees.

“You were not able to look at what we saw in terms of researching evidence.

You haven't seen all the inconsistencies.

In our closing speech, we said that the authorities deliberately selected the moments they needed for their version, which, in their opinion, supported the presentation of this position.

Why should he have expected such a jury decision, given all the inconsistencies we've seen? "

- notes Kannik.

Lawyer Thomas Farinella also believes that the charges are based on "a series of isolated relationships and events that the authorities are trying to tie together like different types of fabrics and pass off what happened as silk."

The verdict in the R. Kelly case is scheduled for May 4, 2022.

The rapper faces up to 20 years in prison.  

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  • © Cook County Sheriff's Office / Handout

According to The Guardian, in 2008 R. Kelly was acquitted of charges of child sexual abuse. For many years, information about his relationship with minors (including the artist's illegal marriage with singer Aliya, who at that time was 15 years old), leaked in the media, did not cause much resonance. The charges against R. Kelly gained widespread publicity following the premiere of the 2019 documentary series Surviving R. Kelly. The tape says that Kelly's entourage protected him and forced the victims to remain silent for decades. A few months later, the rapper was arrested.

Geronda Pace was the first of six main prosecutors to appear in court.

She revealed that she was a fan of R. Kelly as a teenager.

In 2009, when the girl was 16 years old, she gave her contact information to the artist's team, and she was invited to a party at his house.

Pace stated that she had sex with R. Kelly several times over the course of six months.

At the same time, she first told him that she was 19, but later revealed the truth about her age.

Also, according to Pace, the musician repeatedly subjected her to physical violence.

According to the Associated Press, some of the prosecutors witnessed how R. Kelly locked a girl who was a radio station trainee in a room.

She fainted and the artist raped her. 

Another witness claims that she saw R. Kelly raping Aliya, who at that time was no more than 14 years old.

The same prosecutor said that the artist herself had a sexual relationship with her when the girl was 15. 

US Assistant Attorney Maria Cruz Melendez told the jury during the trial that Kelly lured girls, girls, and sometimes boys backstage, invited him to his home and helped organize trips to him.

According to Melendez, the artist repressed them physically, sexually and psychologically and demanded absolute obedience.

Some of the rapper's guests were allegedly aspiring musicians and considered Kelly their mentor.  

R. Kelly is best known as the performer of the 1996 hit I Believe I Can Fly.

Throughout his career, which began in the 1990s, the artist has released more than ten solo albums.

He has collaborated with such musicians as Celine Dion, Jay-Z, Mariah Carey, 50 Cent and Usher.

Over the years, R. Kelly was nominated for the Grammy 26 times and was awarded three statuettes.