R. Kelly, a fallen R&B star already sentenced to 30 years in prison in June for sex crimes committed against young, sometimes adolescent women, was convicted of child pornography on Wednesday September 14 in Chicago.

Robert Sylvester Kelly, 55, was sentenced for production of child pornography and embezzlement of a minor.

The singer, known worldwide for his hit "I Believe I Can Fly" and his 75 million records sold, was however acquitted by a federal jury on other charges of obstruction of justice.

He and two former associates - also acquitted on Wednesday - were charged with disrupting the course of his 2008 child pornography trial, in which the jury found him not guilty.

They were accused of having both threatened and corrupted a victim, who had not then testified.

Now 37, she spoke this time.

Excerpts from videos showing sexual violence committed by R. Kelly on young girls, one of whom was only 14 years old, were broadcast during the trial.

From 10 to 90 years in prison

The 12-person jury took about 11 hours to reach this verdict, which could add a heavy prison sentence to the 30 years of imprisonment to which R. Kelly has already been sentenced.

His sentence, which will be set later, could range from "ten to 90 years in prison", the prosecutor's office said in a statement.

The verdict "holds Robert Kelly to account for the sexual abuse of a 14-year-old girl," prosecutor John Lausch said.

"The suffering inflicted by Mr. Kelly on his victims is immense," he added, praising the "strength, determination and courage" of those who testified during the trial.

The artist had already been found guilty in September 2021 in New York of having piloted for three decades a "system" of sexual exploitation of young people, including adolescent girls.

This lawsuit had been considered a major step in the #MeToo movement: it was the first time that the majority of the plaintiffs were black women and that they accused a black artist.

With AFP

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